$20 Million Mystery Painting
Usually when a painting has an unconfirmed artist, unconfirmed creation location, and even no information about who commissioned the piece it isn’t very valuable, so why did London’s National Gallery purchase one just like that for $20 million?
The Mystery Painting
This is The Virgin and Child with Saints Louis and Margaret. Normally I’d tell you when and where it was painted and by whom but this time, of course, that’s kind of the main sticking point in this story.
In the painting we can see the Virgin Mary and Jesus in the center flanked by St. Louis (the French King Louis IX) on the left and St. Margaret, rising from the body of the dragon the swallowed her, on the right. She is the level of unbothered that I aspire to be.
The last time it was exhibited (before the sale to the National Gallery in 2025) was in 1960 and since then the National Gallery had their eye on it, wanting to make the purchase. The work went on display at the gallery in May 2025 and officials hope that it’s availability to the public for prolonged viewing will help scholars come closer to an answer about the painting’s creator and other details.
What We Know
The first clue we can take from this painting to try and figure out where it was created is the wood panel it’s painted on. The National Gallery used dendrochronology (essentially dating something using tree rings) to determine that the wood dated back to around 1483. It was found to be Baltic Oak, frequently used in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg at that time period.
This painting (actually an altarpiece originally) was first documented in 1602 at the Premonstratensian Abby of Drongen in Ghent, Belgium. It’s not clear if this is the painting’s original location but some experts believe that it might be.
Some of the content of the painting can also help scholars get a clue about when it may have been created. The chain that St. Louis is wearing was modified around 1516 meaning the work was created between 1483 (when the wood was dated to be from) and 1516 when the change was made.
In terms of who created this painting, that’s the part that’s really up for debate. Some even say that because of the prominence of St. Louis in this painting it’s possible that he commissioned it so the idea that a French painter created it can’t be ruled out. Others say that the foreshortened faces of the angels make it look like other works by Jan Gossaert.
So far all the National Gallery has concluded is that it’s likely from around 1510 and they hope more answers can be uncovered soon.
Works Cited
Whiddington, Richard. “London’s National Gallery Just Spent $20 Million on a Strange Altarpiece. There’s a Dragon in it”. ArtNet. 2025. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/national-gallery-mysterious-altarpiece-20-million-2639437
Wizevich, Eli. “Who Created This Peculiar Painting of a Drooling Dragon? Nobody Knows - But a Museum Just Bought it for $20 Million”. Smithsonian Magazine. 2025. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/who-created-this-peculiar-painting-of-a-drooling-dragon-nobody-knows-but-a-museum-just-bought-it-for-20-million-180986571/?itm_source=related-content&itm_medium=parsely-api