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altarpiece

noun

  1. artwork (painting, sculpture or relief) behind the altar
L316200 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /ˈɑl.təɹˌpis/ / /ˈæl.təɹˌpis/

noun

Etymology: Etymology tree English altar English piece English altarpiece From altar + piece.

  1. a work of art suspended above and behind an altar in a church

    I walked across the concrete to examine the altarpiece of the atomic age. A large crack ran through it.

    “It’s this snaggletoothed, little bird-footed homunculus caricature,” Bourneuf said. “Many artists at this time were trying to make new altarpieces. Klee tended to take a very skeptical distance from the sort of grandiose projects of many of his expressionist peers, so I think it’s actually kind of mocking those hopes.”