Great altarpieces

by Caterina Limentani Virdis

"Created in an age of faith, the polyptychs chosen for this volume are all altarpieces, works that came into being in response to changes in the Roman Catholic liturgy decreed as far back as 1274 at the Council of Lyons. According to the new dispensation, the priest would no longer say Mass facing the congregation (versus populum) but rather facing the altar and as often as possible in the presence of a sacred image. Also involved was a redefinition of the doctrine of Transubstantion, which encouraged private devotions in chapels, intimate spaces where the faithful could become more directly involved in the Eucharistic service. Both developments proved, in time, to be conducive to the realization of grand altarpieces in polyptych form, placed against the wall over an altar in a chapel or upon the high altar in a church or cathedral where it would function as a kind of splendid partition separating the sanctuary from the choir. The form had been evolving for well over a century, but it