It would be easy to assume that there was no native painting and very little sculpture in pre-Reformation Britain, but of course there was — until much of it was destroyed, or at best exported, by the Reformers in the mid-16th century and the Puritans in the 17th century.
Edward VI’s 1547 instruction to parish clergy demanded that the nation’s past be expunged. They were “to take away, utterly extinct and destroy all shrines, coverings of shrines, all tables, candlesticks, trindles or rolls of wax, pictures, paintings and all other monuments of feigned miracles, pilgrimages, idolatry and superstition so that there remain no memory of the same within their churches or houses. And they shall exhort their parishioners to do the like within their houses.”
Very few panel paintings survive in this country. Wall paintings were defaced or in happy cases whitewashed, while religious statues, especially of the Virgin, were smashed.
Although secular monuments continued to be made for a while, this had a devastating effect on alabaster carving, one of the most successful medieval English industries. It was centred on Nottingham, close to the mines, and was one of the country’s important exports.
Nottingham alabasters are found across the Continent and beyond. Merchants were quick to profit from English iconoclasm — in January 1550 the English ambassador to France reported the arrival of three English shiploads of alabaster images to be sold at Paris, Rouen and elsewhere.
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Alabaster is a soft, pliable mineral composed of gypsum or limestone that is less strenuous to work than marble. Carvings were polished and most were brightly painted, sometimes all over. However, faces might be left unpainted to contrast the translucent qualities of the alabaster with rich-coloured robes and gilded crowns and sceptres. Characteristically, English reliefs have thin limbs and elongated fingers.
Not practical for outdoor display, alabaster was especially suited to altarpiece panels as well as portable triptychs. Tomb monuments, including full-length effigies, were made to stand inside churches out of the weather. Unfortunately, where people did try to save their figures and reliefs from the iconoclasts by burying them, they are often now pitted and worn by damp. Still more unfortunately, remaining traces of colour were often stripped by 19th-century restorers, particularly in France. Condition and colour tend to determine modern prices.
Alabasters and medieval artworks in general are increasingly popular with wealthy collectors buying for enjoyment rather than status. Leading dealers in the field include Sam Fogg and Daniel Katz in London and Brimo de Laroussilhe in Paris.
Usually good examples can be found at the BRAFA fair ,which opens the art market year in Brussels (running to February 4 at the Tour & Taxis complex). This year there is a charming relief of the Holy Family with the Magi, with Mullany of London at a six-figure price.