altarpiece

noun

al·​tar·​piece ˈȯl-tər-ˌpēs How to pronounce altarpiece (audio)
: a work of art that decorates the space above and behind an altar

Examples of altarpiece in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web From that point, a taste for altarpieces never developed, even among Episcopalians. Brian T. Allen, National Review, 20 Jan. 2024 Inside, at the center of a baroque altarpiece, was Yupanqui’s Virgin, bathed in white fluorescent light. Aatish Taseer, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2023 Workshops include alebrije and altarpiece painting, flower crown making, face painting, altar exhibit, storytelling and more. Kamren Curiel, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2023 Wealthy clients often commissioned artists to paint them into biblical scenes, whether in altarpieces, psalters or other types of works. V.m. Braganza, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Aug. 2023 The current Catholic-core is more explicit in its appropriation of devotional signifiers, complete with palm rosaries and vintage altarpieces. Sofia Andrade, Washington Post, 23 Aug. 2023 Here, a golden Bastet amulet from the eighth century BCE in Egypt is toothpick-height and nearly as slim; nearby, a matchbox-size silver pendant from 1504 unfolds in three parts, a dizzyingly wee take on an altarpiece depicting the martyrdom of Santa Barbara, Mary Magdalen, and Saint Gereon. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Aug. 2023 This exquisite Gothic polyptych – an altarpiece with pivoting panels – was carved in the late 1400s by Veit Stoss. Rick Steves, Chicago Tribune, 30 May 2023 Jess celebrates the high-minded hedonism of the mid-twentieth-century San Francisco Bay Area avant-garde with a canvas that rivals the enameled richness of a medieval altarpiece. Jed Perl, The New York Review of Books, 26 Mar. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'altarpiece.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1624, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of altarpiece was in 1624

Dictionary Entries Near altarpiece

Cite this Entry

“Altarpiece.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/altarpiece. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.

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