retable
Behind the altar
A retable is an ornamental screen or structure behind a church altar, typically featuring painted panels, carved figures, or architectural elements.
It serves as a backdrop for religious imagery and may include niches for statues or compartments for relics.
The gilded retable dominated the sanctuary.
Common in medieval and Renaissance churches, particularly in Spain and Latin America.
Art in three panels
- polyptychMulti-panel hinged artwork
- diptychHinged two-part artwork
- panelDistinct flat section
- gildingApplying decorative gold coating
gesso · tempera · iconography · pinnacle · finial · crocket · tracery · baldachin
Sacred ritual table
- sanctuaryProtected sacred space
- chancelAltar-adjacent clergy space
- apseVaulted church recess
- choirOrganized group of singers
nave · chapel · cathedral · basilica · sacristy · vestry · high altar · communion
Supreme artistic achievement
- commissionPayment for services rendered
- craftsmanSkilled manual worker
- woodcarvingSculpting in timber
- sculptureShaped three-dimensional art
relief · bas-relief · gold leaf · pigment · lapis · vermilion · ultramarine · patron
triptych
Art in three panels
gilding · gesso · tempera · iconography · pinnacle · finial · crocket · tracery · baldachin · tabernacle
altar
Sacred ritual table
choir · nave · chapel · cathedral · basilica · sacristy · vestry · high altar · communion · mass
masterpiece
Supreme artistic achievement
- commissionPayment for services rendered
- craftsmanSkilled manual worker
- woodcarvingSculpting in timber
sculpture · relief · bas-relief · gold leaf · pigment · lapis · vermilion · ultramarine · patron · workshop