Tabernacle from an Altarpiece

Currently not on view

Tabernacle from an Altarpiece

c. 1760

Artist/maker unknown, Portuguese

A tabernacle stores the consecrated wine and host that are part of the Catholic Mass. The hinged door on this example---inscribed with the Latin FONS VITAE (Fountain of Life)---provides access to this storage space. This tabernacle likely formed the central element of an elaborate gilded retable, a decorative structure that covered the wall of a chapel behind an altar. Such grand decorative schemes had a rich tradition in Portugal: in the eighteenth century designers combined motifs from Italian Baroque architecture and French and German Rococo ornament to create an exuberant and wholly original style, exemplified in the carving seen here.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

Tabernacle from an Altarpiece

Date:

c. 1760

Artist:

Artist/maker unknown, Portuguese

Medium:

Gilded chestnut

Dimensions:

Approximately: 5 feet 6 inches × 4 feet 10 inches × 1 feet 1 inches (167.6 × 147.3 × 33 cm)

Classification:

Architecture (including fragments)

Credit Line:

Purchased with the Fiske Kimball Fund, 2008

Accession Number:

2008-5-1

Geography:

Made in Portugal, Europe

We are always open to learning more about our collections and updating the website. Does this record contain inaccurate information or language that you feel we should improve or change? Contact us here.

Please note that this particular artwork might not be on view when you visit. Don’t worry—we have plenty of exhibitions for you to explore.

Currently not on view