Medieval craftsmen in the Nottingham area mass-produced panels like this one from local deposits of alabaster, a fine-grained soft mineral that could be easily carved. These panels were typically painted and placed into wooden frames for altarpieces. Many were exported all across Europe, where a handful of complete Nottingham alabaster altarpieces still survive. In England, religious images such as this were ruthlessly destroyed during the Reformation, especially under the Protestant King Edward VI. This iconoclastic period brought centuries of traditional artistic practice to a sudden end. This example, which would originally have been arranged with other panels, retains much of its original painted surface and shows the Blessed Virgin Mary being assumed into heaven and crowned its queen. Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2016