Global InformationDespenser Reredos information
| Despenser Reredos | |
|---|---|
| Despenser Retable | |
 The reredos in St Luke's Chapel, Norwich Cathedral | |
 | |
| Year | 1382 (Julian) |
| Medium | gold leaf, glass, wood, paint |
| Subject | Passion of Jesus, Crucifixion of Jesus, Ascension of Jesus  |
| Dimensions | 87.63 cm (34.50 in) × 260.35 cm (102.50 in) |
| Location | United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 52°37′55″N 1°18′04″E / 52.6319°N 1.3011°E |
The Despenser Reredos or Despenser Retable is a medieval altarpiece now in St Luke's Chapel, Norwich Cathedral. It is the cathedral's most important work of art. The altarpiece shows five scenes from the end of Christ's life—his flagellation, his journey to the cross, his crucifixion, events that follow his burial, and the Ascension. The scenes, which are painted on wood in vivid colours, are surrounded by a rectangular frame. The original reredos may originally have been positioned at the cathedral's high altar.
The reredos is generally considered to have been commissioned by the Bishop of Norwich, Henry Despenser, following the defeat of a rebel peasant army at the Battle of North Walsham in 1381. Alternative theories have been suggested for the reason for its commission, including that it was made to mark the visit to the city by Richard II of England in 1383, or as thanksgiving for the completion of work done in the cathedral. Heraldic shields around the frame may represent the families who were involved in suppressing the Peasants' Revolt in East Anglia, or who contributed to the cost of producing the piece. A number of family names for the shields, first suggested at the end of the 19th century, have since been reinterpreted by researchers.
The reredos remained lost until 1847, when it was accidentally rediscovered in the cathedral, having been remade into a table, with the paintings concealed underneath. The upper part of the reredos (which included part of the central figure of Jesus) had been sawn off by carpenters when constructing the table top. The panels and frame were restored by Pauline Plummer in the 1950s, since when the reredos has been used once more as a altarpiece.