The Nailloux Altarpiece (

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

: "''Retable de Nailloux''") embodies the artistic style of France during the medieval era. The Nailloux consisted of five

alabaster Alabaster is a mineral and a soft Rock (geology), rock used for carvings and as a source of plaster powder. Archaeologists, geologists, and the stone industry have different definitions for the word ''alabaster''. In archaeology, the term ''alab ...

panels carved in

high relief High may refer to: Science and technology * Height * High (atmospheric), a high-pressure area * High (computability), a quality of a Turing degree, in computability theory * High (tectonics), in geology an area where relative tectonic uplift t ...

, this retable was made in dedication to the

Passion of Jesus Christ The Passion (from Latin , "to suffer, bear, endure") is the short final period before the death of Jesus, described in the four canonical gospels. It is commemorated in Christianity every year during Holy Week. The ''Passion'' may include, amo ...

. It is currently conserved in a chapel of St Martin's Church in

Nailloux Nailloux (; Languedocien: ''Nalhós'') is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France. Population Twin towns Nailloux is twinned with: * Canfranc, Spain * Bucium, Romania See also *Communes of the Haute-Garonne depa ...

, in the

Haute-Garonne Haute-Garonne (; , ; ''Upper Garonne'') is a department in the southwestern French region of Occitanie. Named after the river Garonne, which flows through the department. Its prefecture and main city is Toulouse, the country's fourth-largest. ...

department in southwestern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The retable is a typical product of the

Nottingham alabaster Nottingham alabaster is a term used to refer to the English sculpture industry, mostly of relatively small religious carvings, which flourished from the fourteenth century until the early sixteenth century. Alabaster carvers were at work in L ...

industry. This piece was carved during the second half of the 15th century, at a

Midlands The Midlands is the central region of England, to the south of Northern England, to the north of southern England, to the east of Wales, and to the west of the North Sea. The Midlands comprises the ceremonial counties of Derbyshire, Herefor ...

workshop in England. These were cheaper than alternative forms of sculpted altarpiece, and many of this kind were exported. The work was produced in a period of economic development for the region: the golden age of

woad ''Isatis tinctoria'', also called woad (), dyer's woad, dyer's-weed, or glastum, is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae (the mustard family) with a documented history of use as a blue dye and medicinal plant. Its genus name, ''Isati ...

culture in

Lauragais The Lauragais (; ) is an area of the south-west of France that is south-east of Toulouse. The Lauragais, a former county in the south-west of France, takes its name from the town of Laurac and has a large area. It covers both sides of the Canal ...

. With a total length of 1.46 m (57 in), the altarpiece is made of four side panels of 43 × 25 cm (18 x 9 in) and a bigger central panel of 50 × 25 cm (19 x 9 in). The

Passion of Christ The Passion (from latin language, Latin , "to suffer, bear, endure") is the short final period before the death of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, described in the four canonical gospels. It is commemorated in Christianity every year during Holy ...

is the most common subject in medieval altarpieces because of its importance to christians. It shows the sacrifice of Christ, commemorated in the

Eucharist The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christianity, Christian Rite (Christianity), rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an Ordinance (Christianity), ordinance in ...

. The Nailloux altarpiece represents, from left to right: the

Arrest An arrest is the act of apprehending and taking a person into custody (legal protection or control), usually because the person has been suspected of or observed committing a crime. After being taken into custody, the person can be question ...

, the

Flagellation Flagellation (Latin , 'whip'), flogging or whipping is the act of beating the human body with special implements such as whips, Birching, rods, Switch (rod), switches, the cat o' nine tails, the sjambok, the knout, etc. Typically, floggin ...

, the

Crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the condemned is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross, beam or stake and left to hang until eventual death. It was used as a punishment by the Achaemenid Empire, Persians, Ancient Carthag ...

(main panel), the

Entombment A tomb ( ''tumbos'') or sepulchre () is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be called ''immurement'', althou ...

and the

Resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions involving the same person or deity returning to another body. The disappearance of a body is anothe ...

of Christ. The neighboring church of

Montgeard Montgeard (; ) is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department of southwestern France. Population Sights Montgeard is famous for its church, built during the Renaissance between 1522 and 1561, during the "golden age" of woad trade. Montgeard c ...

also houses four panels of a dismembered Nottingham alabaster altarpiece (probably dedicated to the

Life of the Virgin The Life of the Virgin, showing narrative scenes from the life of Mary, the mother of Jesus, is a common subject for pictorial cycles in Christian art, often complementing, or forming part of, a cycle on the Life of Christ. In both cases the ...

). The Nailloux Altarpiece has been classified "

Monument historique () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, ...

" as an ''objet'' since 1914. Following the renovation of the church in 2011, the altarpiece was restored in 2013, following a subscription to the Fondation du Patrimoine.

Bibliography

* Cheetham Francis, ''English medieval alabaster: with a catalogue of the collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum'', Woodbridge, UK New York, Boydell Press in association with the Association for Cultural Exchange, 2005, 2nd édition. *Gorguet Pascale, ''Répertoire des albâtres anglais du XIVe au XVe siècle dans le Sud-Ouest: mémoire de maîtrise présenté sous la direction des professeurs Yves Bruand et Michèle Pradalier'', Université Toulouse Le Mirail, 1984.

References

{{Reflist, 30em Sculptures of the Passion of Jesus Gothic sculptures Alabaster English sculpture