Madonna Lillies; Study for Berwick painted by Vanessa Bell

Madonna Lillies; Study for Berwick painted by Vanessa Bell in preparation for the murals of Berwick Church, East Sussex. Artists Duncan Grant, Vanessa Bell, and Quentin Bell were commissioned by Bishop Bell of Chichester in 1941 with the intention of reviving the tradition of mural painting abandoned during the Reformation. Many church murals were whitewashed during the 16th century Reformation when Henry VIII ordered decorations removed, destroyed, or covered over.