"Big Wooden Carved Painted Altarpiece Late 16th Early 17th Cty"
Important and superb altarpiece in carved and painted wood, Germany or Switzerland ?, late XVIth century early XVIIth This panel is still 1.6m high for 0.97m wide and more than 35cm deep: this is a real work of solid sculpture so the characters are deep (especially the Saint in prayer). The sculpture represents the apparition of the Virgin to the child Jesus carrying the world to a saintly person in prayer in a cave (to be identified). The clouds supporting several churches in the upper right-hand register could symbolize the heavenly Jerusalem, as opposed to hell for the lower left-hand register (river in the colors of the fire passing under a bridge ...) Carrier / mover label sticker on the back Late nineteenth or early twentieth century. It should be noted that the cross planted on the earth map is not original, and that the panel painted at the bottom of the cave has been reported (very easy to remove). The altarpiece was originally laid on a stone wall, and it was this one that served as the bottom of the cave. The polychromy is to be cleaned because the altar panel is very dirty. This panel of altarpiece remains in its size, the very good preservation of its colors, the amazing and unusual importance of its depth, and the high quality of its sculpture in a superb religious work.