The Altarpiece- some thoughts 1

The Sainsbury Wing of the National Gallery in London houses most of the earliest paintings in the collection. Almost exclusively panel paintings, the vast majority are either panels from what were formerly altarpieces or represent more or less complete altarpieces. The earliest examples date from the second half of the thirteenth century and are executed in egg tempera and gilding upon a gesso ground. At the outset the gold background is ubiquitous. In the fifteenth century century we see both the retreat of the gilding from the surface of the image to the frame and the development of naturalistic settings for the iconic or narrative figures whether in the form of architectural or other environments. The discovery of the rules of linear perspective was vital in bringing about this change, however, when altarpieces are compared with murals it is fairly clear that the arrival of the naturalistic background is later on the altarpiece. Masaccio's "Virgin and Child" in the National Gallery, originally part of an altarpiece for a church in Pisa, is a striking example. The figures and throne, while demonstrating the masterly grasp of perspective one might expect from the painter of the "Trinity" in Santa Maria Novella in Florence, does not here extend that demonstration to the background and, for decades after this, similarly contrasting examples from many other advanced artists are to be found. In short we see a certain lingering conservatism regarding the gold background of altarpiece paintings. Nevertheless in the course of the fifteenth century the artist's newfound skill carries all before it and the once gilded panel with its coloured figures becomes, in concept, a window. Elsewhere the sculpted reredos is adopted and subsequently increasingly elaborate structures employing architectural, sculptural and painterly elements framing tabernacle and exposition throne are developed and form an elaborate backdrop to the altar.

There is doubtless an interesting history to be charted from the emergence of the first retable altarpieces to the imposing structures furnishing churches on the eve of the Second Vatican Council. Once upon a time, however, there were no altarpieces, retables or reredoses. There were simply altars behind which, so one was led to believe, the priest would stand to celebrate mass until this practice was changed some time in the twelfth century. This much is asserted in "From Giotto to Durer" - the National Gallery's own guide to the art of the period. If this was indeed the case the emergence of the altarpiece can be seen as resulting from a need to screen off the area to the rear of the altar.

Unfortuanately I have never been able to find corroborative evidence for this change and when no less an authority than Pope Benedict XVI suggests that mass with the priest facing the people was never widespread it is clear that some other motive needs to be sought.