Altar Wings of Roudníky, Gothic winged altarpiece in Hussite Museum, Tábor, Czech Republic
The Altar Wings of Roudníky are two surviving double-sided painted panels of a late Gothic retable, each measuring 162 × 68 cm (framed 179 × 82 cm). The inner left wing shows the Beheading of St. James the Great above the Burning of St. Lawrence; the inner right wing shows the Martyrdom of St. Sebastian above the Burning of Jan Hus.
The panels were painted before 1486, probably in a Prague workshop, for the Utraquist parish church of St. Wenceslaus in Roudníky. From 1607 they served as doors behind the altar, which is why they were trimmed and overpainted with baroque marbling. Students of the Prague Academy of Fine Arts found them during restoration in 1966; after restoration in 1975 and 2013–14, they were bought for CZK 12 million and placed in the Hussite Museum in Tábor.
The right panel shows one of the earliest depictions of Jan Hus' execution in Czech Gothic art, alongside images of other venerated saints. This imagery reflects the religious beliefs that were rooted in the region during that time.
These works are housed in the Hussite Museum in Tábor where visitors can view them during regular museum hours. As delicate historical paintings, they are displayed in a controlled environment to ensure their preservation.
From 1607 the two panels served as doors to the space behind the altar in St. Wenceslaus Church, while the central panel was sold to be burned. The wings were trimmed, mainly vertically, probably when they were given this new use.
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