The Seven Sorrows of Mary (The Ashwellthorpe Triptych)

Known as the Ashwellthorpe Triptych, this painting is a highly important master work which has a special association with south Norfolk. It exemplifyies the important connections that have existed between Holland and Norfolk through the centuries.

This altarpiece is Flemish and was specially commissioned by a Norfolk family; the Knyvetts of Ashwellthorpe. Christopher Knyvett was a courtier of King Henry VIII and was sent to the Netherlands in his service in 1512; it was while here that he commissioned the work. This form of painting was unknown in England at that time. Christopher and his wife Catherine are depicted kneeling in the foreground of the composition, identified by their coat of arms which can be seen on the heraldic shields hanging from the trees at the top.

There was a strong tradition of religious and devotional painting within Flemish art in the early sixteenth century. The artist of this work is unknown but he would have been assisted in his studio by apprentices who would have worked on sections of the picture. It incorporates a richness of colour, typical of the Flemish style, which was achieved by a layering of colours onto the oak panels

The central panel depicts ‘The Seven Sorrows of the Virgin Mary’ - namely the Presentation, the Flight into Egypt, Christ among the Doctors, the Road to Golgotha, the Crucifiction, the Deposition and the Entombment. The side panels contain portraits of Saints Christopher and Catherine; ‘name saints’ of the Knyvetts.

Norfolk has had long standing links across the North Sea; notably with the countries of Holland and Germany. The Ashwellthorpe Triptych provides yet another example of the Dutch influence in Norfolk, here reflected in an early appearance in the county of the latest fashions in art of the Netherlands.