This is not a standard altarpiece. First, it is exceptionally small: even when its side panels are opened (they would normally be closed), this triptych is not more than 12.5 centimeters wide; in closed state, the dimensions resemble those of a big box of matches. Second, this portable shrine is extremely costly. It’s executed in a very skilful, detailed manner, with rich materials such as gold and enamel. And it must have been even more valuable, as it was also a reliquary. Originally, a small opening on the back did contain a relic (such as a little piece of wood from the True Cross), that used to be at least as expensive as the artifact itself.
Mini-altars like this are typical for the so-called Private Devotion, a late-medieval piety movement that focused on the personal experience of faith. Its main goal was the individual identification with the passion of Christ. This rich piece proves that Private Devotion was not only popular among the people, but also in high places. It was manufactured around 1400 for the French court, possibly for the king himself.
The center panel depicts the ‘Man of Sorrows’, the portrayal of Jesus Christ’s extreme suffering as a human of flesh and blood, rather than as a supernatural being. This theme was very popular in late-medieval religious experience, because it provided an excellent opportunity to identify with Christ.
Comments