Posted on 05/19/2005 10:02:32 AM PDT by siunevada
Neglected for centuries, England’s oldest altarpiece has been restored to its former glory and today goes on display in the National Gallery.
The Westminster Retable, an ornately-decorated thirteenth century panel painting, has been painstakingly repaired in a twenty-year project.
The Retable is divided into five panels depicting biblical figures, including an image of Christ holding a miniature representation of the earth.
It is considered one of the most important northern European panel paintings of its time.
Henry III gave it to Westminster Abbey at the end of his reign after he had overseen the church’s reconstruction in the French Gothic style.
The piece would have been at the back of the altar facing away from the congregation so few but the priest officiating at mass would have seen it.
It was removed from the altar at Westminster Abbey in the seventeenth century before being rediscovered in the 1980s.
Uncared-for for hundreds of years, it was once even placed in a side chapel and turned into a cupboard.
Further damage was caused when wax effigies of Elizabeth I and Prime Minister William Pitt were added to it.
It was fortunate to have survived the Reformation, when churches and monasteries were desecrated following the break with the Roman Catholic Church.
The Retable has spent 20 years being patched up by specialists in metal and glass work and wood-panel painting at the Hamilton Kerr Institute in Cambridge.
Restoration work on the piece, which is to return to Westminster Abbey later this year, was supported by the Getty Foundation and the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The National Gallery:
18 May - 4 September 2005 Lower Floor Gallery B Admission free
The 'Westminster Retable' is widely recognised as the most important Gothic panel painting produced in the Anglo-French milieu in the late 13th century.
Originally, it may have functioned as the high altarpiece of Westminster Abbey, produced under the patronage of Henry III or Edward I.
After the Dissolution of the Abbey it served as part of a cupboard for the display of the royal funeral waxworks and only came to notice in 1725.
Although damaged in the post-medieval period, enough survives of its extraordinarily refined and elegant paintings to stress its central place in the history of European art at this time. The painting illustrates Christ's miracles, his nature as Saviour of the World, and Saint Peter's witness to him.
Yup. The Reformation destroyed thousands of priceless artworks.
Glad to hear this one survived.
I'm reading A Short History of Byzantium. Iconoclasm seems to be an ongoing thread in Christianity.
Now that we're Modern 21st Century Americans we don't even bother creating the art for our churches. So much more efficient than having to destroy it in some later century.
Very, very sad. I go to Spain a lot - now THOSE were churches!
Interestingly enough, the Spanish government (raving Socialists) is suppressing the university major in art history at state universities. There is some suspicion that it is because this brings students into contact with - gasp! - European history and Christian art, and also because the government resents this art, which is one of the attractive things about the Church. Can't have that, can we.
That said, the above altarpiece is really magnificent. It reminds me a bit of the famous Rublev Trinity, for some reason.
Holy John Damascene considered Islam the ultimate expression of Christian iconoclasm.
That is true. The line is the same. Thanks for posting the icon.
Where did you read that?
In the Spanish press. It's quite a contentious subject in Spain. Originally, they were also planning on eliminating the major in Spanish, but there was so much opposition to that that they gave up.
Oddly enough, art historians actually have jobs in Spain, because they are hired to work at the many historical and artistic sites that are a big part of Spain's tourist draw. Even the EU said that there was no justification for eliminating the art history major. Theoretically, these majors are being eliminated to bring Spain into line with uniform EU university standards, but the Socialists are taking advantage of the occasion to attack things they've never liked anyway (such as the Spanish language and the whole concept of Spain, which is under heavy attack by Zapatero right now).
If you could find a link, that would be greatly appreciated. I know someone who would be highly interested in that development.
Art Ping.
Let me know if you want on or off the list. Sam Cree is away for about one more week, so Liz and I have the list.
It is wonderful that they were able to restore this. It is a shame that so many similar pieces were destroyed, but that just makes the surviving ones more treasured.
Ping. Restoration of the oldest surviving alterpiece in England.
GGG Ping.
Beautiful...and very provocative comment about chalice imagery! Makes me want to study 'religious' art even more.
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