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altarpiece
altarpiece. A picture, sculpture, screen, decorated wall, or combination of any of these, standing on or behind an altar in a Christian church. Altarpieces vary enormously in size and conception, from tiny portable pictures to huge structures embracing the arts of architecture, sculpture, and painting. In theory, a useful distinction can be made between two broad types: the reredos, which rises from ground level behind the altar; and the retable, which stands either on the back of the altar itself or on a pedestal behind it. In practice, however, the words are not usually used with any precision; ‘retable’ is often used more or less as a synonym for altarpiece and in particular is commonly applied to the type of enormous structure—sometimes filling the entire east wall of a church—that became popular in Spain and Portugal and their American colonies in the Baroque period.
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Cite this article
IAN CHILVERS. "altarpiece." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. IAN CHILVERS. "altarpiece." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O2-altarpiece.html IAN CHILVERS. "altarpiece." The Oxford Dictionary of Art. 2004. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O2-altarpiece.html |
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altarpiece
altarpiece A picture, sculpture, screen, decorated wall, or combination of any of these, standing on or behind an altar in a Christian church. Altarpieces vary enormously in size and conception, from tiny portable pictures to huge structures embracing the arts of architecture, sculpture, and painting. In theory, a useful distinction can be made between two broad types: the reredos, which rises from ground level behind the altar; and the retable, which stands either on the back of the altar itself or on a pedestal behind it. In practice, however, the words are not usually used with any precision; ‘retable’ is often used more or less as a synonym for altarpiece and in particular is commonly applied to the type of enormous structure—sometimes filling the entire east wall of a church—that became popular in Spain and Portugal and their American colonies in the Baroque period.
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Cite this article
IAN CHILVERS. "altarpiece." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. IAN CHILVERS. "altarpiece." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O3-altarpiece.html IAN CHILVERS. "altarpiece." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists. 2003. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O3-altarpiece.html |
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altarpiece
al·tar·piece / ˈôltərˌpēs/ • n. a work of art, esp. a painting on wood, set above and behind an altar. |
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Cite this article
"altarpiece." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "altarpiece." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-altarpiece.html "altarpiece." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-altarpiece.html |
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altarpiece
altarpiece
•anis, apiece, Berenice, caprice, cassis, cease, coulisse, crease, Dumfries, fils, fleece, geese, grease, Greece, kris, lease, Lucrece, MacNeice, Matisse, McAleese, Nice, niece, obese, peace, pelisse, piece, police, Rees, Rhys, set piece, sublease, surcease, two-piece, underlease
•mantelpiece • headpiece • hairpiece
•tailpiece • Greenpeace
•chimney piece • frontispiece
•timepiece • codpiece • crosspiece
•mouthpiece • showpiece • earpiece
•masterpiece
•centrepiece (US centerpiece)
•altarpiece • workpiece • ambergris
•calabrese
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Cite this article
"altarpiece." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "altarpiece." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-altarpiece.html "altarpiece." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-altarpiece.html |
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