Varnish Vanishing

The Memorial Tablet for the Lords of Montfoort, created around 1380, is the oldest known surviving painting from the Netherlands. This oil-on-panel artwork depicts the lords of Montfoort between the Virgin Mary and Saint George. Over the centuries, it underwent restorations in 1608 and 1770 to preserve its condition. Originally displayed on the Mary altar in St. John's Church in Linschoten, the painting was later donated to the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam in 1884, where it remains today.