The
Wilton Diptych is a small portable
diptych of two Baltic oak panels, painted on both sides, set in frames of the same material and joined by two hinges. Dating from around 1395–1399, it is an extremely rare survival of a late Medieval religious
panel painting from England. The diptych was painted for King
Richard II, who is depicted kneeling before the
Virgin and Child in what is known as a
donor portrait. He is presented to them by his
patron saint,
John the Baptist, and by the English royal saints
Edward the Confessor and
Edmund the Martyr. The inner faces of the panels are in excellent condition for their age, though some glazes have been lost, but the outer faces have paint losses from handling.
This picture shows the lefthand panel of the inside of the diptych, with Richard II and the saints.
See also: the righthand inside panel, showing the Virgin and Child.Painting: Unknown English or French painter from the 1390s