'Big surprise' as almshouse artwork valued at £3.5m

The triptych was hidden for centuries by the almshouse brethren to save it from religious purges

A triptych painting that was kept in an almshouse chapel has been valued at up to £3.5m by auctioneers.

St Johns' Almshouse, in Sherborne, Dorset, said it received the shock news after giving the altarpiece to Sotheby's auction house for safekeeping during renovation work.

Experts identified it as the only surviving work of an unknown painter who was active in Brussels in the late 15th Century.

The triptych will be auctioned on 3 December to raise money for new accommodation for Sherborne people.

St Johns' Almshouse had the work on display in its chapel

The painting, depicting five miracles of Christ, reportedly survived religious purges by being hidden at the almshouse for hundreds of years, Sotheby's said.

It was rediscovered in the early 19th Century and put on display.

Mike Burks, one of the almshouse brethren, said: "Our thoughts on its value were way under the mark.

"That was a big surprise to us and also then made it so that we had to make decisions to do the right thing."

The trustees of the charity, which is formally known as The Almshouse of St John the Baptist and St John the Evangelist, decided to sell the work to avoid insurance and security costs.

It said the money would create six new accommodation units for people in need, helping to renew the charity's original purpose.

In 2023, it closed its 19 accommodation units, after a financial review found they were unsustainable.

Since then, only one unit has been available to rent, along with an adjacent cottage.

Chairman Richard Hunt said: "For nearly 600 years, our mission has been to provide accommodation for local people in need.

"Now, with the sale of this artwork, we have an important opportunity to protect the work that the charity can do for generations to come."

Almshouse chairman Richard Hunt said the sale would renew the charity's mission