(Dis)closed: Tabernacle Altarpieces in the Rhineland

Most of the tabernacle altarpieces preserved throughout Europe are fragmented, overpainted, and reconstructed, thus impeding a closer analysis of their image program. A detailed study of the earliest fully preserved representatives of this altarpiece type originating from the Lower and Middle Rhine as well as some other little-known late medieval examples from this region will cast some light upon topics such as the construction and evolution of the form as well as the iconography and media used in its creation and its possible impact on the spectator. This study concentrates on a small group of almost completely preserved tabernacle altarpieces, which allows detailed observation of their all-around design. This enables an examination of the ensemble of sculpture and painting, the strategies of emphasizing the venerated sculpture as well as points of reference between the images on the interior and on the exterior. Another aspect of this survey addresses questions regarding the different ways an altar could be adjusted and displayed spatially (with the wings fully open or partially closed) and the perception of these objects, most of which are designed to be viewed from all sides - issues that have received little attention in the research on tabernacle-altarpieces so far. The results of this brief survey will also serve as groundwork for answering questions about the long durability of the tabernacle altarpieces alongside new forms such as winged altarpieces.