Early Netherlandish Carved Altarpieces, 1380–1550: Medieval Tastes and Mass Marketing

The carved wooden altarpieces produced in the South Netherlands from the late-fourteenth through the mid-sixteenth centuries are among the most lavish and splendid examples of late medieval art. Though currently one of the least known and appreciated types of Netherlandish art, such altarpieces were the most common form of decoration on the high altars of churches in the Lowlands during the late Gothic period. These detailed narratives and masterful combinations of painting, sculpture, and architectural decoration powerfully express religious tastes and aesthetics of the late medieval period.