St Thomas Becket meeting the Pope
Can I see it?
Yes, on view now
Where is “St Thomas Becket meeting the Pope” now? Victoria and Albert Museum, Medieval & Renaissance, Room 10, London. Yes, on view now. Checked September 25, 2026.
Closed· opens tomorrow at 10:00 AM
On public display.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the sculpture
This panel would have formed part of an altarpiece depicting the story of St Thomas Becket, a very popular saint in the Middle Ages. The reverse of the panel has three lines scored on it, indicating that this scene was third in line in the altarpiece. A.167-1946 formed part of the same altarpiece.
The cult of Thomas Becket was important across medieval Europe, and Canterbury was one of the major pilgrimage destinations of medieval Christendom. In spite of this, representations of the saint are relatively rare survivals in English alabaster: there is only one other example of this particular scene extant.
Read on
The saint is shown meeting Pope Alexander III at Sens in 1164. Thomas had resigned his archbishopric, and was then reinstated by the Pope in a deliberate demonstration of ecclesiastical power over Henry II. The meeting is described in the Golden Legend. To the right foreground sits the unusual figure of a jester, with a distinctive hooded doublet and bladder over his shoulder.
Victoria and Albert Museum
Details
- Accession number
- A.166-1946
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Victoria and Albert Museum
- Image: Victoria and Albert Museum — © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
