The Resurrection (The “Folke Resurrection”)
17.01.2026 - 12.04.2026 | On loan from St Lawrence Church, Folke | Location within Airborne over Sherborne / Purple Room Gallery
Painted in the Baroque spirit of drama and light, The Resurrection shows Christ rising above the tomb, banner held aloft. Two angels flank the scene, while Roman guards — set low in the foreground — recoil at the miracle. The composition draws your eye upward: from earthbound armour and shadow to a figure lifted into radiance.
The altarpiece is attributed to Sir James Thornhill (1675–1734), celebrated for spectacular large-scale decorative painting — including the Painted Hall at Greenwich — and, closer to home, for the extraordinary mural that presides at The Sherborne. Here, Thornhill’s theatrical storytelling forms a striking counterpoint to Quentin Blake’s airborne imagination elsewhere in the house: two very different artists, both alive to movement, character, and the energy of a moment.
A layered Dorset story
Known as the Folke Church Altarpiece (or the “Folke Resurrection”), the painting was given to St Lawrence Church, Folke, by Revd. Robert Frome around the turn of the eighteenth/nineteenth century, after the Grange Chapel at Middlemarsh was pulled down. It hung in Folke Church for many years, but damp conditions eventually meant it was moved into the care of Dorset County Museum.
About Sir James Thornhill
Sir James Thornhill (1675–1734) was one of Britain’s great Baroque decorative painters, famed for dramatic storytelling on a monumental scale. His works include major commissions such as the Painted Hall at Greenwich.
Conservation and return
The altarpiece has been conserved with the support of the Friends of Sherborne House, in consultation with Folke Parochial Church Council. After careful cleaning, repair, and restoration transformed its appearance, a long-held hope has been realised: that the work might become part of The Sherborne story — not as a hidden treasure, but as part of the living, layered heritage of this place.
Plan your visit
On view: within Airborne over Sherborne
Opening times: Open daily 10:30am to 4pm (3pm on Sundays)