Rare gothic 19th century Retable / Reredos - valuation needed.

[isaacse]

Hi everyone, my parents need to move house to downsize and we are having a large furniture sale. One piece is a beautiful Gothic Reredos / Retable / Carved Wall Panelling – Circa 1900s. I'm just not sure what its worth and there are not many church antiques dealers around to ask!

This unusual solid oak Gothic Reredos is in excellent condition and I think would interest any 14th – 15th century architecture fan, although the piece itself is probably late victorian. As I understand it, very few reredoses / retables survived the wrath of the Anglican reformers in England in the 1540s, and any pre-Reformation ones are not likely to be in their original church. Originally this reredos / retable went behind an altar in a large church in Nottingham as a fabulous wall panel, and has recently been hanging as a stunning back drop in my parents' lounge.

The Reredos is in excellent condition, having been well cared for over the years, there is very slight evidence of woodworm at the back near the top but we treated that when it first came into our possession and it's been fine ever since.

Any thoughts on how or where I could get this valued, or what value you would put on it, would be very welcome.

Pictures can be seen here: www.isaacsuk.co.uk/oaksuite.htm

(you need to scroll down past the other furniture)

Many Thanks, Ruth.

[madelaine]

try these people

http://www.rmills.co.uk

they deal in architectural antiques