Anatomy of an altarpiece

Uncover the different sections of an Italian Renaissance altarpiece

From pilasters to roundels we describe the technical terms.

About polyptychs

A polyptych is a multi-panelled altarpiece which usually depicts individual saints set against a celestial gold background within an architectural framework.

The panels are of different shapes and sizes and each has a name according to its size and function.

Below, we've listed the panel names and described their characteristics.

Central panel

The central panel in the main tier usually represents the saint to whom the altar is dedicated. In altarpieces for high altars, this is often the saint to whom the whole church is dedicated, whereas in a side chapel it would be the dedicatee of that specific altar.

Side panels

The side panels generally depict saints associated with the figure in the central panel. They may also represent the name saints of the patron, or other saints to whom the patron or institution had a particular devotion.

Roundels

Roundels are circular panels inserted into the frame of the pilasters.

They often depict a saint or archangel who has a special association with the church or perhaps with an associated or neighbouring church.

They may also represent the name saint of a priest or prior of the church.

Spandrel

The spaces between the outer curve of an arch and the rectangle made by the mouldings enclosing it. Spandrels are often adorned with decorative motifs or raised ‘pastiglia’ (painted or gilded plaster).

Pinnacles

Pinnacles are the topmost panels of an altarpiece. The central pinnacle is often reserved for images of Jesus or God the Father. Side pinnacles often depict Old Testament prophets or read as a pair, depict the angel Gabriel and the Virgin at the Annunciation.

Pilasters

Pilasters are vertical columns which frame an altarpiece. The are usually flattened and rectangular.

The saints shown on pilasters usually represent the name saints of the patrons, or saints to whom neighbouring or associated churches were dedicated.

Predella

The long supporting plinth below the main tier. Generally, predellas are decorated typically with narratives from the life of the saints depicted above.

The narratives were not always arranged in chronological order. Sometimes the most significant scene was placed at the centre. Predellas also sometimes consist of a series of individually framed saints.

Pilaster bases

The pilaster bases are panels located at either end of the predella. Structurally that are part of the base of the pilaster.

Pilaster bases usually depict a saint associated with the church. Sometimes they were reserved for the coat of arms of the patron.

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Giovanni dal Ponte's 'Ascension of John the Evangelist Altarpiece'

The polyptych shown above is Giovanni dal Ponte's altarpiece representing the Ascension of John the Evangelist. This altarpiece once adorned the high altar of the church of the Camaldolese nunnery of San Giovanni Evangelista in Pratovecchio, Tuscany. The subject of the central panel reflects the dedication of the church to Saint John.

On either side of the central panel are saints dear to the Camaldolese Order, a branch of the Benedictine family of monastic communities which followed the 6th-century rule of Saint Benedict. In the right panel, you can see Saint Catherine of Alexandria and Saint Scholastica in the one to the left. These female figures were probably intended to address the nuns at San Giovanni in particular.

The original painted elements are encased within a 19th-century frame which probably closely approximates the original.

Duccio's 'Maestà'

One of the most magnificent altarpieces ever created was the Maestà, a five-tiered, double-sided altarpiece and the focus of the devotion of the Virgin in Siena. It is the only surviving signed work by the city’s leading artist, Duccio di Buoninsegna.

The huge altarpiece was originally about 5 x 4.68 m (Grove Art Online). When the picture was completed in 1311, it was carried in a festive procession across the streets of Siena to the cathedral, where it was placed above the high altar on 9 June, 1311.

In 1506 the altarpiece was removed from the high altar to make way for a new altar.

The three small panels from Duccio's altarpiece in the National Gallery Collection formed part of the predella, the lowest part of the altarpiece.

The Maestà was painted on both sides: The Annunciation comes from the front predella, while the Healing of the Man born Blind and the Transfiguration were originally placed next to each other on the back of the predella. The predella itself was shaped like a rectangular box, with images on both sides, providing support for the large, double-sided picture.

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