Introductory description

This Module introduces the altarpiece, one of the central genres of Western religious art.

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

The Altarpiece: Origins and Function
The painted altarpiece from commission to installation
The sculpted altarpiece from commission to installation
Patrons
Contexts and congregations
The Polyptych
The Pala
The Reformation and the fate of the altarpiece

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Present an argument, initiate and sustain group discussion through intelligent questioning and debate at an appropriate level.
• Ability to undertake research and to write up the results in the form of a well-structured argument at an appropriate level.
• Familiarity with essential ICT skills.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with others.
• Show understanding of diverse viewpoints.
• Ability to find, select, organize and synthesize evidence.
• Ability to formulate a sustained argument.
• Think conceptually and independently at an appropriate level.
• Demonstrate sophisticated visual analysis.
• Demonstrate bibliographical skills at an appropriate level.
• Demonstrate critical analysis of cultural artefacts in their context.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the different materials and techniques involved in making altarpieces.
• Demonstrate a knowledge of the origins and key developments in the evolution of the altarpiece.
• Demonstrate a knowledge of the social, cultural and religious contexts surrounding the production of altarpieces.
• Demonstrate a knowledge of important works.

Indicative reading list

M. Baxandall, The Limewood Sculptors of Renaissance Italy, (New Haven and London, 1980)
E. Borsook and F. S. Gioffredi eds, Italian Altarpieces 1250-1550: Function and Design, (Oxford, 1994)
J. Burckhardt, The Altarpiece in Renaissance Italy, ed., trans, P. Humfrey, (Oxford, 1988)
J. Dunkerton, S. Foister, D. Gordon, N. Penny, Giotto to Dürer: Early Renaissance Painting in the National Gallery, (New Haven and London, 1991)
P. Humfrey and M. Kemp eds, The Altarpiece in the Renaissance, (Cambridge, 1990)
L. F. Jacobs, Early Netherlandish Carved Altarpieces, 1380-1550: medieval tastes and mass marketing, (Cambridge, `1998)
P. Humfrey, The Altarpiece in Renaissance Venice, (New Haven and London, 1993)
S. Nash, Northern Renaissance Art, (Oxford, 2008)
M. O’Malley, The Business of Art: Contracts and the Commissioning Process in Renaissance Italy (New Haven and London, 2005)
E. Welch, Art in Renaissance Italy, 1350-1500, (Oxford, 1997)
B. Williamson, ‘Altarpieces, Liturgy, and Devotion,’ Speculum, 79, 2004, pp. 341-406

View reading list on Talis Aspire

Subject specific skills

• Demonstrate knowledge of the different materials and techniques involved in making altarpieces
• Demonstrate a knowledge of the origins and key developments in the evolution of the altarpiece
• Demonstrate a knowledge of the social, cultural and religious contexts surrounding the production of altarpieces
• Demonstrate a knowledge of important works
• Demonstrate sophisticated visual analysis
• Demonstrate critical analysis of cultural artefacts in their context

Transferable skills

• initiate and sustain group discussion through intelligent questioning and debate at an appropriate level
• ability to undertake research and to write up the results in the form of a well-structured argument at an appropriate level
• familiarity with essential ICT skills
• ability to collaborate effectively with others
• show understanding of diverse viewpoints
• ability to find, select, organize and synthesize evidence
• ability to formulate a sustained argument
• think conceptually and independently at an appropriate level
• Demonstrate bibliographical skills at an appropriate level