London's National Gallery has acquired a mysterious altarpiece painted by an unknown artist around 1510, paying £16.4 million ($21.8 million) for the work titled *The Virgin and Child with Saints Louis and Margaret*. The painting, arranged via a private sale by Sotheby's and funded by the American Friends of the National Gallery London, features unusual details including a uniquely expressive dragon beneath baby Jesus's feet, playful angels, and subtle symbolic references. The acquisition marks the museum's bicentennial and will go on public display on May 10 in the rehung Sainsbury Wing.
The purchase matters because it represents a significant investment in an artwork by an unnamed master, highlighting the National Gallery's commitment to expanding its renowned Early Netherlandish collection despite the artist's anonymity. The painting's distinctive dragon, described as unlike any other in Northern European art, and its blend of humor and theological symbolism offer fresh avenues for scholarship. Curator Emma Capron hopes ongoing research and public display will eventually solve the mystery of the painter's identity, making this acquisition both a curatorial coup and a potential art-historical breakthrough.