A magnificent addition to our collections': the Trie-Château window at the Victoria and Albert Museum
A note on the provenance of a triple window in limestone, acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, in 1937, and now on display in its new suite of rooms dedicated to the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Originally forming part of a house at Trie-Château near Oise, France, the window probably dates from 1160 to 1170, and is a notable and rare example of Romanesque non-ecclesiastical architectural sculpture. The extensive correspondence and memoranda on the official acquisition file at the Victoria and Albert Museum offer a great deal of insight into the issues and complications surrounding a major purchase in the late 1930s, and they are also particularly revealing of the central role plated by the National Art-Collections Fund and the dynamics of the English and French art establishments at the time.