53-843: The Oddi Altarpiece , or more correctly the degli Oddi altarpiece, is an altarpiece of the Coronation of the Virgin painted in 1502-1504 by the Italian Renaissance master Raphael for the altar of the Oddi family chapel in the church of San Francesco al Prato in Perugia , Italy, now in the Vatican Pinacoteca . The altarpiece was commissioned for the Oddi family chapel in San Francesco al Prato in Perugia,
106-412: A Christian church . Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting or sculpture, or a set of them, the word can also be used of the whole ensemble behind an altar, otherwise known as a reredos , including what is often an elaborate frame for the central image or images . Altarpieces were one of the most important products of Christian art especially from the late Middle Ages to
159-588: A cathedral (in Chur Cathedral in Switzerland). In the 18th century, altarpieces like Piero della Francesca 's Saint Augustine Altarpiece were often disassembled and seen as independent artworks. The different panels of the polyptych of St Augustine are thus today spread out among several different art museums. Double-sided wing panels were often sawn apart by dealers or collectors, to give two paintings for hanging. Altarpieces have never been made compulsory in
212-599: A covering known as a proskynitarion . As with the coverings used on the Holy Table, there may, again, be only one outer covering or also a second, inner covering that hangs to the floor (though, in this case, sometimes only in the front and back). A cloth antependium is normally of the same colour and often of the same fabric and similar style as the vestments worn by the clergy. The fabric may vary from very simple material, such as cotton or wool, to exquisitely wrought damasks, fine watermarked silk, velvet, or satin. Embellishment
265-588: A developed liturgical tradition use white, gold, red, green, violet and black, with each being used on specified occasions. A rose colour may be employed for the fourth Sunday ( Laetare Sunday ) in Lent and the third Sunday ( Gaudete Sunday ) in Advent . In Anglican circles, blue is sometimes prescribed for feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary (see liturgical colours ), although it is also used, unofficially, in some areas of
318-537: A popular scene. Lucas Cranach the Elder 's Wittenberg Altarpiece of 1547 is a leading example, with the side panels showing scenes of the sacraments with a modern setting, and the single predella scene Martin Luther preaching; the reverses are also painted. But Calvinism opposed all large public religious images such as altarpieces, and by about 1560 production of Protestant ones had mostly ceased. The Reformation regarded
371-644: A rather conservative format, in a medieval church. Increasingly, the size and shape of altarpieces became dictated by the overall design and decoration of the church, which the artist was required to fit in with. If funds allowed several altarpieces were commissioned for Baroque churches when they were first built or re-fitted, for the main and side-altars, giving the whole interior a consistent style. Medieval churches had mostly acquired altarpieces gradually over time, from different donors. Sculptural altarpieces, or designs integrating painting with sculpture, became more common. Examples by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680),
424-560: A single dramatic action. This much height typically required a composition with an in aria group to fill the upper part of the picture space, as in Raphael 's Transfiguration (now Vatican), though The Raising of Lazarus by Sebastiano del Piombo (now London) is almost as tall, using only a landscape at the top. In Italy, during the Renaissance, free-standing groups of sculpture also began to feature as altarpieces. The most famous example
477-547: A single pictorial space. Other types of Italian composition also moved towards having a single large scene, sometimes called a pala (Italian for "panel"), often dispensing with the predella. Rather than static figures, narrative scenes from the lives of the main figures grew in popularity; this was to become the dominant style for large altarpieces over the next centuries. Originally mostly horizontal ("landscape") in format, they increasingly used vertical ("portrait") formats. Some were as much as 4 metres tall, and concentrated on
530-420: A wide screen composed of large icons , placed in front of the altar, with doors through it, and running right across the sanctuary. Antependium An antependium (from Latin ante- and pendēre , "to hang before"; pl. : antependia ), also known as a pulpit fall , parament or hanging, or, when speaking specifically of the hanging for the altar , an altar frontal (Latin: pallium altaris ),
583-520: Is the Pietà by Michelangelo , originally placed as the altarpiece in a side chapel of Old St Peter's . In the north of Europe, the Protestant Reformation from the early 16th century onwards led to a swift decline in the number of altarpieces produced in the parts of Europe affected. Outbursts of iconoclasm locally led to the destruction of many altarpieces. As an example, during the burning of
SECTION 10
#1732848775057636-405: Is a decorative piece, usually of textile, but also metalwork, stone or other material, that can adorn a Christian altar. Antependium can also be used to describe the decorated front of the altar itself, especially if it is in an inflexible material such as wood, stone or metal. Specifically, and as the etymology of the word suggests, an antependium hangs down in front of whatever it covers, and
689-573: Is a row of much smaller scenes running below the main panel; often these showed narrative scenes related to the subject of the main image. They were only properly visible from close up, but the extra height allowed the main panels above to be clearly seen by the congregation, and any shutters to be opened and closed with less disturbance to other items on the altar. Many altarpieces have now been removed from their church settings, and often from their elaborate sculpted frameworks, and are displayed as more simply framed paintings in museums and elsewhere. In
742-411: Is always an outer frontal, covering the top of the Holy Table and hanging down several inches on all four sides. This kind is used alone if the front of the Holy Table is elaborately carved or decorated. For a "fully vested" Holy Table, a second, inner hanging is used. This covers the Holy Table fully on the top and hangs down to the floor on all four sides. The analogia ( icon stands) are covered with
795-399: Is commonly by means of decorative bands of material called orphreys , embroidery (sometimes in gold or silver thread, or making use of pearls and semi-precious stones) or appliqués, fringes and tassels, all of a complementary colour to the fabric. The most frequently used symbol on both vestments and hangings is the cross. The antependium is normally lined in satin, using a matching hue. By
848-844: Is to be distinguished from the altar linens which are used in the service of the Eucharist , and an altar cloth which covers the top of the altar table ( mensa ). The true liturgical decoration of the altar and its oldest adornment is the frontal. " Antependium " is the word used for elaborate fixed altar frontals, which, in large churches and especially in the Ottonian art of the Early Medieval period, were sometimes of gold studded with gems, enamels and ivories, and in other periods and churches often carved stone, painted wood panel, stucco, or other materials, such as azulejo tiling in Portugal . When
901-440: The reredos , which signifies a large and often complex wooden or stone altarpiece, and the retable , an altarpiece with panels either painted or with reliefs. Retables are placed directly on the altar or on a surface behind it; a reredos typically rises from the floor. Older retable-type altarpieces are often made up of two or more separate wood panels, sometimes with framed divisions, as in medieval examples, but later with
954-506: The sacra conversazione developed, a group usually centred on the Virgin and Child , flanked by a group of saints usually chosen to represent the patron saints of the church, city, religious order or donors. These became increasingly informal in pose, and some may have been initially displayed in the donor's house, then bequeathed to a church as a memorial. They represented the same components as many altarpieces with framed compartments, but with
1007-568: The Antwerp Cathedral in the course of the Reformation in 1533, more than fifty altarpieces were destroyed. The Reformation initially persisted with the creation of new some altarpieces reflecting its doctrines, sometimes using portraits of Lutheran leaders for figures such as apostles. The Protestant range of subjects contracted; traditional saints were no longer shown, and the Last Supper was
1060-565: The Baroque period, the single scene became standard, sometimes incorporated in an elaborate carved frame. Usually there was no reverse view, as altarpieces were fixed to a wall in side chapels, or a built-up backing for main altars in older churches where there were other chapels behind the main altar. Predellas and closing side panels became rare, though Rubens 's Elevation of the Cross (1611) has two hinged side-wings, with saints on their other sides,
1113-493: The Catholic Church , nor their usage and treatment formalised, apart from some church authorities laying down guidelines on subject-matter and style after the 16th-century Council of Trent ; therefore their appearance can vary significantly. Occasionally, the demarcation between what constitutes the altarpiece and what constitutes other forms of decoration can be unclear. Altarpieces can still broadly be divided into two types,
SECTION 20
#17328487750571166-800: The Veit Stoss altarpiece in Kraków (completed 1489), while in England there was a 15th-century industry producing relatively cheap painted altarpiece kits in Nottingham alabaster , many of which were exported, the frame being added at the destination. In England, as well as in France, stone retables enjoyed general popularity. In Italy both stone retables and wooden polyptychs were common, with individual painted panels and often (notably in Venice and Bologna ) with complex framing in
1219-500: The 13th century, it was not uncommon to find frescoed or mural altarpieces in Italy; mural paintings behind the altar served as visual complements for the liturgy. These altarpieces were influenced by Byzantine art , notably icons , which reached Western Europe in greater numbers following the conquest of Constantinople in 1204 . During this time, altarpieces occasionally began to be decorated with an outer, sculptured or gabled structure with
1272-503: The 7th to 8th century rich materials were customary in the fabrication of an antependiums , particularly gold embroideries. From the 8th century onward antependia were often made from a variety of materials, including metal, gold, silver, gilt, and enamels. Italian Antependia The earliest extant painted wooden antependium in Italian art is the one attributed to the Maestro di Tressa in
1325-590: The Pinacoteca Nazionale in Siena, Italy. It is dated 1215 and is tempera and gold on panel, embellished with pastiglia decoration to mimic metalwork. It is generally called "Il Paliotto del Salvatore" or the antependium of the Savior, paliotto being the Italian word for an antependium in any medium. The upper frame bears the inscription: Anno D[omi]ni Millesimo CCXV: mense Novembri: hec tabula facta est . "In
1378-695: The Protestant destruction stimulated the creation of more and larger altarpieces in Catholic Europe. Titian produced a number of ones with very large single scenes, mostly now on canvas. Among the most influential were his Assumption in the Frari Church (1518, still on panel, 690 cm × 360 cm (270 in × 140 in)), the Pesaro Madonna in the same church (1526, now on canvas), Killing of Saint Peter Martyr (1529, now lost but known from prints and copies). In
1431-645: The Reformation (in the north of Europe) or replaced with Baroque altarpieces during the Counter-Reformation (in the southern part of Europe), or else were discarded during the Enlightenment or replaced with Neo-Gothic altarpieces during the 19th century (particularly in the United Kingdom ). In the German-speaking part of Europe , there is only one altarpiece remaining that was made for the high altar of
1484-505: The Word of God – that is, the gospel – as central to Christendom, and Protestant altarpieces were often painted biblical text passages, increasingly at the expense of any pictures. With time, Protestant though gave birth to the so-called pulpit altar ( Kanzelaltar in German), in which the altarpiece and the pulpit were combined, making the altarpiece a literal abode for the Word of God. If anything,
1537-523: The altar itself and sometimes in front of it. Much smaller private altarpieces, often portable, were made for wealthy individuals to use at home, often as folding diptychs or triptychs for safe transport. In the Middle Ages, very small luxury diptychs or triptychs carved in ivory or other materials were popular. Matters evolved differently in Eastern Orthodoxy , where the iconostasis developed as
1590-527: The congregation). There is little information about the decoration of Christian altars in the first four centuries, however, from the 5th century onward there is evidence for the use of altar frontals. Palladius, writing in 421 CE, states that Roman ladies gave their silk dresses to form coverings for the altar. In the Orthodox Church , the Holy Table (altar) may be covered with one or two coverings. There
1643-682: The early 14th century, the winged altarpiece emerged in Germany, the Low Countries , Scandinavia , the Baltic region and the Catholic parts of Eastern Europe . They spread to France, but remained rare in Italy. By hinging the outer panels to the central panel and painting them on both sides, the subject could be regulated by opening or closing the wings. The pictures could thus be changed depending on liturgical demands. The earliest often displayed sculptures on
Oddi Altarpiece (Raphael) - Misplaced Pages Continue
1696-426: The era of Baroque painting . The word altarpiece, used for paintings, usually means a framed work of panel painting on wood, or later on canvas . In the Middle Ages they were generally the largest genre for these formats. Murals in fresco tend to cover larger surfaces. The largest painted altarpieces developed complicated structures, especially winged altarpieces with hinged side wings that folded in to cover
1749-664: The first altarpieces. In the Romanesque period, painted altar frontals on panel seem to have been a common alternative location for paintings. Few survive, though small Catalonian churches preserved several, many now in the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya in Barcelona . The development of altarpieces may have begun at the altars of side chapels, typically engaged with the wall behind, rather than at freestanding main altars. Many early altarpieces were relatively simple compositions in
1802-426: The first several centuries of large Christian churches being built, the altar tended to be further forward (towards the congregation) in the sanctuary than in the later Middles Ages (a position to which it returned in the 20th century) and a large altarpiece would often have blocked the view of a bishop's throne and other celebrants, so decoration was concentrated on other places, with antependiums or altar frontals, or
1855-470: The floor on all four sides. The Anglican Canons of 1603 order that the Lord's Table should be "covered, in time of Divine Service, with a carpet of silk or other decent stuff, thought meet by the ordinary of the place" (can. 82). Covers for lecterns and pulpits are generally similar to a frontlet, normally covering the "desk" of the lectern or pulpit and handing down about a foot or longer in front (visible from
1908-414: The form of a rectangular panel decorated with series of saints in rows, with a central, more pronounced figure such as a depiction of Mary or Christ . An elaborate example of such an early altarpiece is the metal and enamel Pala d'Oro in Venice , extended in the 12th century from an earlier altar frontal. The appearance and development of these first altarpieces marked an important turning point both in
1961-404: The form of architectural compositions. In Spain, altarpieces developed in a highly original fashion into often very large, architecturally influenced reredos, sometimes as tall as the church in which it was housed. The 15th century also saw a development of the composition of Italian altarpieces where the polyptych was gradually abandoned in favour of single-panel, painted altarpieces. In Italy,
2014-412: The front of an altar is elaborately carved or painted, the additional cloth altar frontal normally reaches down only a few inches from the top of the altar table; this is called a "frontlet". In other cases it may reach to the floor (the "frontal", properly so called). In both situations, it will usually cover the entire width of the altar. A " Jacobean frontal" will cover the entire altar, reaching down to
2067-578: The heavenly spectacle. The predella (39 × 190 cm) is composed of three 27 × 50 cm paintings, showing scenes of The Life of the Virgin: The Annunciation , The Adoration of the Magi , Presentation in the Temple Altarpiece An altarpiece is an work of art in painting, sculpture or relief representing a religious subject made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of
2120-507: The history of Christian art as well as Christian religious practice. It was considered a "significant development" because of its impact on the "nature and function of the Christian image ...the autonomous image now assumed a legitimate position at the centre of Christian worship". Painted panel altars emerged in Italy during the 13th century, and until the Renaissance were generally the largest and most significant type of panel painting . In
2173-574: The inner panels (i.e., displayed when open) and paintings on the back of the wings (displayed when closed). With the advent of winged altarpieces, a shift in imagery also occurred. Instead of being centred on a single holy figure, altarpieces began to portray more complex narratives linked to the concept of salvation . As the Middle Ages progressed, altarpieces began to be commissioned more frequently. In Northern Europe, initially Lübeck and later Antwerp would develop into veritable export centres for
Oddi Altarpiece (Raphael) - Misplaced Pages Continue
2226-490: The joins between panels invisible under the painted surface (as with some works by Rubens . They may also display reliefs or sculpture in the round , either polychrome or un-painted. It is then called a diptych , triptych or polyptych for two, three, and multiple panels respectively. In the 13th century, each panel was usually surmounted with a pinnacle, but during the Renaissance , single-panel pala altarpieces became
2279-687: The leading Baroque sculptor of his day, include his Ecstasy of Saint Teresa in Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome , and his sculpted concetto around the painting by Guillaume Courtois in Sant'Andrea al Quirinale . Both of these were essentially figures in the round, but Alessandro Algardi 's Pope Leo the Great repelling Attila in St Peter's Basilica is a "huge" relief with a full scene with over life-size figures. German Baroque and Rococo altarpieces also revived
2332-492: The local taste for sculpture, with the figures in many examples (usually in stucco ) spreading around the whole upper level of the church. While many altarpieces remain today, the majority have been lost. In 1520, there were 2,000 winged altarpieces in the Austrian state of Tyrol alone; scholars estimate that before World War II , there were around 3,000 altarpieces in the entire territory of Nazi Germany . Many were lost during
2385-533: The main image, and were painted on the reverse with different simpler images. Often this was the normal view shown in the church, except for Sundays and feast days , when the wings were opened to display the main image. At other times visitors could usually see this by paying the sacristan . Altarpieces with many small framed panels are called polyptychs ; triptychs have a main panel, and two side ones. Diptychs , with only two equally sized panels, were usually smaller portable pieces for individuals. The predella
2438-603: The norm. In both cases, the supporting plinth ( predella ) often featured supplementary and related paintings. The Altarpiece of Pellegrino II of about 1200 (in Cividale , Italy) is a rare survival of a large partly- gilded silver relief altarpiece. Such pieces may have been more common, but later melted down for the metal. At least in the 15th century, altarpieces for main or high altars were required by canon law to be free-standing, allowing passage behind them, while those for side chapels were often attached to, or painted,
2491-458: The painting occur in two related scenes, one in heaven and the other terrestrial. Above the coronation shows the Virgin being crowned by Jesus , while angels are playing music; while below the section depicts the apostles gathering around the empty tomb of Mary , whose body was raised to heaven without corruption. St Thomas holds in his hands the girdle Mary dropped down to him as a testament to her assumption . The saints raise their eyes to
2544-474: The production of altarpieces, exporting to Scandinavia, Spain and northern France. By the 15th century, altarpieces were often commissioned not only by churches but also by individuals, families, guilds and confraternities. The 15th century saw the birth of Early Netherlandish painting in the Low Countries ; henceforth panel painting would dominate altarpiece production in the area. In Germany, sculpted wooden altarpieces were instead often preferred, for example
2597-517: The purpose of providing a frame for individual parts of the altarpiece. Vigoroso da Siena 's altarpiece from 1291 (pictured) is an example. This treatment of the altarpiece would eventually pave the way for the emergence, in the 14th century, of the polyptych . The sculpted elements in the emerging polyptychs often took inspiration from contemporary Gothic architecture . In Italy, they were still typically executed in wood and painted, while in northern Europe altarpieces were often made of stone. In
2650-423: The surrounding walls. Altarpieces seem to have begun to be used during the 11th century, with the possible exception of a few earlier examples. The reasons and forces that led to the development of altarpieces are not generally agreed upon. The habit of placing decorated reliquaries of saints on or behind the altar, as well as the tradition of decorating the front of the altar with sculptures or textiles, preceded
2703-405: The wall behind. If the altar stands free in the choir , such that visitors can pass behind the main altar, both sides of the altarpiece can be covered with painting. The screen , retable or reredos are commonly decorated. Groups of statuary can also be placed on an altar. A single church can furthermore house several altarpieces on side-altars in chapels. Sometimes the altarpiece is set on
SECTION 50
#17328487750572756-473: The year of the Lord, One thousand two hundred fifteen: in the month of November: this table was made." The famous Pala d'Oro in St Mark's Basilica in Venice may have originated as an antependium , although early additions made it far too large, and it is used as a reredos . The colours used tend to be suggested by the liturgical tradition of each denomination. Most Western Christian churches that observe
2809-623: Was taken to Paris in 1797 (for the Musée Napoleon ) and in 1815 brought back to Italy, not to Perugia but to the Vatican Pinacoteca. The altarpiece was commissioned by Leandra Baglioni, widow of Simone degli Oddi; in Perugia there were different Oddi and degli Oddi families, but English sources often ignore this, including the English version of the Vatican Museums website. The actions of
#56943