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Timeline

1496
Hermann Rinck died. The altarpiece was probably painted after his death.
 
The outside of St. Koulmba's Church
Around 1480-1520
The Master of the Aachen Altarpiece was working as an artist in Cologne. Because his identity is unknown he is referred to by another of his known works, the altarpiece with scenes from the Passion, which was painted around 1510 for the Carmelite church in Cologne and is now in the Cathedral Treasury at Aachen in Germany.
 
Around 1505
The altarpiece was commissioned for St Kolumba's church.
 
Around 1810-20
The panels were likely to have been separated, as the altarpiece is thought to have been brought from Flanders to England at the time of the Napoleonic Wars.
 
Around 1820s-30s
The centre panel was acquired by a Manchester dealer who sold it on to Joseph Dixon of Newcastle upon Tyne.
 
1843
First appearance of the wings, in the Liverpool Royal Institute catalogue. It was likely that they were purchased as a pair in 1842 to be shown in a gallery newly built by LRI for the Roscoe collection.
 
1847
The centre panel was bought from Mr Dixon's executors by Edward Shipperdson, who presented it to the National Gallery, London.
 
Conservation of the panel, 1962
1948
The Liverpool Royal Institute presented the wings to the Walker Art Gallery along with the rest of the LRI's collections.
 
1962
Conservation of central panel.
 
1963
Discovery of images on the back of the winged panels.
 
2000
Entire triptych moved to National Gallery, London, during the refurbishment of the Walker Art Gallery.
2001
Triptych returned to the Walker in time for its reopening.
 
Installation of the triptych, 2002

Exhibition History

1857
Manchester 'Art Treasures' Exhibition, Nos. 405-6.
 
1868
Leeds 'National Exhibition', No. 512a (1225).
 
1881
Royal Academy, London, 'Winter Exhibition of Works by the Old Masters', Nos. 228 and 23.
 
1899
New Gallery, London, 'Winter Exhibition', Nos. 19 and 248.
 
1957
Exhibition of European Masters at Manchester Art Gallery, for anniversary of 1857 exhibition.
 
1961
The altarpiece was lent to the Cologne Exhibition at Wallraf-Richartz Museum, Nos. 40b and 40c.

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