The Specialist | The Anonymous Altarpiece: Decoding a Renaissance Enigma, with Alex Bell

Summary

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Intelligence Squared: The Specialist

The Anonymous Altarpiece: Decoding a Renaissance Enigma, with Alex Bell

Release Date: December 20, 2025
Host: Conor Boyle & The Specialist Team
Guest: Alex Bell, Chairman Emeritus of Sotheby’s UK and Old Masters Worldwide

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Episode Overview

In this episode, The Specialist delves into the captivating mystery of an anonymous early Netherlandish altarpiece, now a jewel in the National Gallery, London. Alex Bell, a seasoned expert from Sotheby’s, recounts the detective work and scholarship behind uncovering the origins and journey of this Renaissance masterpiece—an artwork whose beauty and enigma endure, even as its artist’s identity remains unknown.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Altarpiece: Description and Aura

[04:57–06:18]

• Alex Bell describes the artwork as "a quite remarkable early Netherlandish painting painted around 1500–1505," featuring:
  • The Virgin and Child on a throne, flanked by St. Louis of France and St. Margaret.
  • St. Margaret dramatically emerging from a dragon’s mouth—an iconic, fearsome figure.
  • A vibrant architectural setting filled with columns adorned with Old Testament figures and two angels beside the throne.
• The work is noted for its dazzling color and detail, echoing influences from Jan van Eyck and Hugo van der Goes.

Quote:
“People will always find this picture intriguing because it's so good and because there's no consensus about who painted it.”
— Alex Bell [03:43]

2. Provenance and Historical Mysteries

[06:19–07:18]

• First record dates to a 1602 drawing by Antonios de Succa, documenting the two key saints.
• Annotated by monks as being housed at Drongen, near Ghent—an abbey destroyed in the 1570s iconoclasm, suggesting the painting was stored in a refuge.
• Likely commissioned for a religious order (Primaltensians or Carmelites), given the saints depicted.

3. Personal Encounter and Initial Impressions

[07:19–08:36]

• Bell first saw the painting “15 or 20 years ago” in a private English collection; it had been with the family almost two centuries.

• Immediate fascination:

  “It was an extraordinary experience because it is one of the most striking paintings you'll ever see. This fantastic dragon with its slobbering mouth at sort of eye level.”
  — Alex Bell [08:00]

• The authorship remained a subject of debate for decades.

4. The Investigation: Science Meets Art

Dendrochronology

[08:37–09:29]

• Panels dated via tree ring analysis by Ian Tyers: earliest possible construction date 1483; likely painted no later than 1517.
• Oak panel sourced from eastern Baltic, typical for the region/time.

Heraldic Clues

[09:30–09:50]

• St. Louis depicted with the Order of St. Michael regalia, established 1469, reformed 1516—evidence dating the painting between these years.

Infrared Reflectography

[09:51–10:30]

• Infrared scans revealed “confident drawing” underneath the paint—but no “idiosyncrasies” to link with known masters.

5. The Question of Authorship and Reception

[10:31–11:11]

• Specialist community was electrified by the work’s virtuosity and anonymity:

  “The conundrum of who it was by was something that had people scratching their heads, desperately trying to work out who had actually painted it.”
  — Alex Bell [10:45]

• Efforts to compare with Jan Gossaert’s works at the National Gallery, but attribution could not be settled.

6. Acquisition by the National Gallery

[11:12–12:42]

• The National Gallery’s interest shifted from academic curiosity to acquisition.
• Negotiations resulted in sale for £16.4 million (“net of tax”)—possibly a record price for an unattributed artwork.
• The painting is now a highlight in the Sainsbury Wing:

  “It's there for everyone to see in perpetuity. So every time I go to the National Gallery, I will make a little pilgrimage to see this wonderful picture in which I played a tiny part, but a very exciting part in its journey.”
  — Alex Bell [12:32]

7. Reflections on Artistic Value Beyond Attribution

[12:43–13:56]

• Bell emphasizes art’s intrinsic worth regardless of authorship:

  “The most important takeaway from my point of view is don't shy away from looking at something just because it doesn't have a name... It doesn’t stop them being some of the most wonderful things we can ever look at and live with.”
  — Alex Bell [13:38]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the painting’s universal allure:

  “If you listen to a wonderful piece of music, your first question isn’t normally, ‘who’s the composer?’ It’s ‘how good is this piece of music?’ And I think it should be the same when we look at works of art.”
  — Alex Bell [03:49]

• On mystery and mastery:

  “The quality of the picture was extraordinary. The conundrum of who it was by was something that had people scratching their heads…”
  — Alex Bell [10:45]

• On the joy of discovery:

  “Even if you think you know who painted a picture, you do need to check that you’re correct.”
  — Alex Bell [08:41]

• On hosting the work for the nation:

  “It may be the highest price ever paid for a painting whose authorship is not certain.”
  — Alex Bell [12:12]

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Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• [03:43] — Introduction to the mystery and philosophical reflection on attribution
• [04:57] — Detailed visual and contextual description of the altarpiece
• [06:19] — Historical provenance and early documentation
• [08:00] — Personal reaction and the painting's impact
• [08:37] — Dendrochronological findings
• [09:51] — Infrared reflectography explanation
• [10:31] — Field specialists react to the work
• [11:12] — National Gallery’s acquisition process
• [12:43] — Reflections on the value of art beyond the artist’s name

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Episode Takeaways

• The painting’s unmatched quality continues to mesmerize experts and visitors, illustrating that artistic value can transcend attribution.
• Scientific, stylistic, and historical detective work all play vital roles in understanding Old Masters.
• The story highlights the importance of open-mindedness and humility in art history—and the thrill that comes from unraveling centuries-old enigmas.

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Transcript

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Welcome to Intelligence Squared, where great minds meet. I'm Head of Programming Conor Boyle. Today, something a little different. We're excited to share with you a handpicked episode of a brand new series, the Specialist, produced by Intelligence Squared in partnership with Sotheby's. We've all heard the stories of the record breaking works, headline grabbing auctions and moments that shock the art world and beyond. But have you ever wondered what's happening behind the scenes? What goes into valuing a masterpiece? Or who the people are really behind the gavel? The Specialist brings you art's most extraordinary stories, told by the experts who witness them in short episodes, perfect for a weekend. Listen now over to the Specialist.

[D]

People will always find this picture intriguing because it's so good and because there's no consensus about who painted it. Yes, the thing about great works of art is that they are great works of art and it's almost immaterial who painted them. If you listen to a wonderful piece of music, your first question isn't normally, who's the composer? It's how good is this piece of music? And I think it should be the same. When we look at works of art.

[E]

Sotheby's is the temporary custodian of some of the world's most rare, remarkable and coveted art and objects. In each episode, we'll be exploring the significance and journey of an extraordinary work told by those who know it best. This, this is the Specialist. What happens when a work of art is so enigmatic that you think about it for 60 years? On today's episode, how a mysterious Renaissance altarpiece entered the collection of the National Gallery in London as the museum celebrated its bicentenary. Alex Bell is Chairman Emeritus of Sotheby's UK and Old Masters worldwide. He has been instrumental in some of the most significant sales of European art over the last three decades. Let's join Alex now with more.

[D]

The picture we're talking about today is a quite remarkable early Netherlandish painting painted around 1500 1505, probably in Ghent in the Low Countries, by an artist that's yet to be identified. It is a very, very striking composition, full of colour and rich detail. And it shows the Virgin and Child seated on a throne in front of a cloth of honour. And on either side, she's flanked by two principal figures. On her right is St. Louis of France and on the other side is St. Margaret. And St. Margaret is particularly dramatic because she's rising from the body of a very fearsome looking dragon which had swallowed her, apparently, and from which she escaped by tickling its innards with her crucifix. The Virgin child and These figures are set within this very open architectural setting with columns which again, are richly decorated, and the capitals of the columns are covered with very highly decorated and beautifully carved figures from the Old Testament. And then immediately on either side of the Virgin, the Child, you have two beautiful angels. We think the artist is probably Netherlandish, although there are elements about the picture which show parallels with French art at the same time. But the main influences on the artists of this picture seem to be the great Netherlandish artists of previous two generations. Jan van Eyck in Bruges, and then Hugo van der Goess, who was from Ghent. And interestingly, the first recorded description of this picture comes in 1602. And that comes from a drawing made by an artist called Antonios de Succa, who is making portraits of royalty and makes a drawing showing the two principal figures in this composition, the St. Louis and St. Margaret. The drawing is made in 1602, and on the reverse of it, there is an attestation by two Norvitine monks that the work was in the house of Drongen. Now, Drongen is a place quite close to Ghent, where there was an abbey, but the abbey itself was destroyed in the iconoclasm in the 1570s, and it's likely that this work would have been in the refuge house of Drongen. Paintings such as these would have been commissioned, usually for religious orders. The fact that the picture was first recorded as having belonged to the house of Drongon, which was a Primaltensian house, suggests that it may have been commissioned for that order. And the fact that it had has both St. Louis and Margaret in it would be entirely fitting, because they were both revered by the order. But equally well, it could have been commissioned by the Carmelite order, because those saints, again, were revered by the Carmelites. I first saw the picture, I think, probably around 15 or 20 years ago, and it was in a private collection in a house in England. When I first saw the picture. It was an extraordinary experience because it is one of the most striking paintings you'll ever see. This fantastic dragon with its slobbering mouth at sort of eye level. But it was clear at the time that there'd been a huge debate about who the painting was by, and there'd never been any resolution as to who might have painted it. About three or four years ago, the owner, who was conscious that this painting, which had been in their family for almost two centuries, in fact, was keen to know whether we could move forward on establishing who painted it, and asked if we would be prepared to undertake some study, which of course, I was thrilled to to do. Even if you think you know who painted a picture, you do need to check that you're correct. When you have a painting of this age, there are certain things you can do to try and narrow down the date range in which it is painted. And one of the most interesting of those is something called dendrochronology, which is essentially the art of counting tree rings. Most panels which were painted in the northern part of Europe, certainly in northern France and the Netherlands in the 16th and 17th centuries, are painted on oak panels, panels made from oak that comes from the eastern Baltic region, where the trees are tall and very close grained, and produce very good wood for panel making. The panel on which this picture is painted is made up of five oak boards. And we were able to make use of the services of the leading dendrochronologist in the uk, Ian Tyers. After he'd done his analysis, Ian concluded that the earliest date that the panel could have been constructed was around 1483, and it was probably used by 1517. So those dates tied in exactly with where we sense, stylistically the picture would have been painted. The next thing which was very helpful in determining the likely dating of the picture is the order that the figure on the left of the picture, St. Louis is wearing, which is the Order of St. Michel, the Order of St. Michael, and that was an order instigated by Louis XI in 1469. So we know it must date after 1469. We also know that that order changed its form in 1516. So we knew that it's very unlikely someone would have been shown wearing an out of date order. So it was very likely the picture dated from before 1516. We also used infrared reflectography, and what infrared does, it's a different wavelength of light and it captures carbon based material, so you can look through the outer paint layers. And because most paintings like this had drawings underneath them to set out the design, you can see what essentially looks like a pencil drawing underneath the painted surface that we actually see. Sometimes this can be really useful because artists have very distinctive drawing techniques which are not necessarily reflected in the surface that you're looking at. In this case, it showed very nice, confident drawing, but there weren't any idiosyncrasies which allowed us to tie this work with any others. The reaction we had when we were showing it to the specialists in this field was universally one of huge excitement. The quality of the picture was extraordinary. The conundrum of who it was by was something that had people scratching their heads, desperately trying to work out who had actually painted it. Everyone focused on the quirkiness of the artist and yet this extraordinary high level of quality that he had as part of that process. We were very fortunate that the National Gallery of London offered to take the picture in for further research and compare it with one of the paintings in their collection, a fantastic Adoration of the Magi by Jan Gossaert. Because there was an idea which is a possibility still this painting might be a very early work by Jan Gossaert. We came to our conclusions, which were that we didn't really know who painted it, other than that it was a picture of extraordinary quality. The National Gallery then approached us and said that, having studied the picture, their interest now went beyond academic interest in trying to help us resolve the attribution, but that the picture was something that they would be really interested in acquiring for the National Collection. So we then began a conversation with the owner and a negotiation with the National Gallery, which resulted, I'm very pleased to say, in a sale to the nation of this remarkable work of art. It's a wonderful institution because not only is it the greatest repository of major paintings in London, but it's filled with highly knowledgeable scholars who are generous with their time and share their views on works of art that we have coming up for sale. The painting was acquired by the nation for what we call a special price of 16.4 million pounds, which is the net of tax price. But I also suspect it may be the highest price ever paid for a painting whose authorship is not certain. And this picture, which was comparatively little known, is now on view in the newly reopened Sainsbury Wing. Larry Keith at the gallery did a wonderful job transforming its appearance so it's now rich in colour. It looked fantastic before, but it's absolutely, absolutely tremendous. And it's there for everyone to see in perpetuity. So every time I go to the National Gallery, I will make a little pilgrimage to see this wonderful picture in which I played a tiny part, but a very exciting part in its journey. I think the most important takeaway from my point of view is don't shy away from looking at something just because it doesn't have a name. There are other great icons of Western art. There's another one in the National Gallery, the Wilton diptych, whose authorship is not clear. It doesn't stop them being some of the most wonderful things we can ever look at and live with.

[E]

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[C]

Thanks for joining us for this episode of the Specialist produced by Intelligence Squared in partnership with Sotheby's. If you enjoyed the episode, there's a bounty of others ready for you to listen. With topics ranging from South Asian surrealism to to Chinese porcelain to Persian manuscripts, you can find them being released weekly. Just search the Specialist or Sotheby's Talks wherever you're listening to this and follow.

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