Design for an Altar Tabernacle
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council
Accession Number
1921-6-126-2
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
**Design for an Altar Tabernacle *Jean Le Pautre,, 1618–1682, 1661* Created in 1661 by the renowned French artist and engraver Jean Leautre, this *Design for an Altar Tab* captures the opulent spirit of the French Baroque era under Louis XIV. Le Pautre, a of ornamental design and printmaking, specialized in intricate architectural motifs that blended classical grandeur with elaborate decoration. Altar tabernacles, ornate enclosures for the Eucharist in Catholic churches, were central to 17th-century ecclesiastical art, symbolizing divine presence through lavish gold, silver, and sculpted ...