Austin Friars panel; King Stephen panel

In 1538 the friary of Austin Friars, Aldgate, was surrendered to King Henry VIII as part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Much of the site was converted into grand mansions for wealthy magnates and residential housing for locals. In 1550 the nave of the Priory Church of Austin Friars was given to the Dutch and Flemish protestant refugees for worship. According to tradition, this panel, with a high-relief representation of King Stephen, originally formed part of a decorative frieze in Winchester House, the London residence built in the 1500s by Lord Treasurer, Sir William Paulet, Marquis of Winchester, within the precincts of the dissolved friary. When the building was finally demolished in 1839, the panel was acquired by Dr Friedrich Lippmann for his private collection, and was then offered for sale in Herr Lepke's Kunst-Auctions-Haus, Berlin on 26/27 November 1912. Purchased with the assistance of The Art Fund.