| Miniature boxwood altarpiece | |
|---|---|
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| Artist | Adam Dircksz |
| Year | 1511 |
| Type | Gothic boxwood miniature |
| Dimensions | 25.1 cm × 14 cm (9.9 in × 5.5 in) |
| Location | British Museum, London |
The miniature altarpiece (catalogue number WB.232) in the British Museum, London, is a very small portable Gothic boxwood miniature sculpture completed in 1511 by the Northern Netherlands master sometimes identified as Adam Dircksz (active c. 1500–1530),[1] and members of his workshop. At 25.1 cm (9.9 in) high, it is built from a series of architectural layers or registers, which culminate at an upper triptych, whose centre panel contains a minutely detailed and intricate Crucifixion scene filled with multitudes of figures in relief.[A] Its outer wings show Christ Carrying the Cross on the left, and the Resurrection on the right.
The smaller triptych on the second level is carved in low relief and shows the Agony in the Garden in its central panel. Below this is a single, wide but low piece showing the betrayal by Judas Iscariot, followed by the lower again semicircular arcade depiction of the Last Supper, which is placed upon two registers that act as supports for the overall structure. The reverse of the altar contains two chambers, which at one time may have contained relics of saints.
The craftsman's tools used for the upper triptychs were similar to those used in the production of full-scale Early Netherlandish altarpieces and employed similar iconography. Although intended for private devotion, the miniatures became highly sought after by collectors; today only some 150 examples survive,[2] with important collections in the British Museum, Art Gallery of Ontario, and at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.[3] The sculpture was donated to the British Museum in 1898 by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild as part of the Waddesdon Bequest.
- ^ "Adam Dircksz (biographical details)". British Museum. Retrieved 18 October 2019
- ^ Ellis; Suda (2016), p. 31
- ^ Thornton (1985), pp. 162–64
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