Reredos in the Handfield Chapel

Reredos in Handfield Chapel

The reredos to the Handfield Chapel altar is a reproduction of Van Eyck's 'Adoration of the Lamb'. The reproduction prints were produced by the Arundel Society in 1911. Van Eyck's work was originally for an altar-piece in Ghent Cathedral.

The altar-piece consists of twelve panels. In the original these were multiply-hinged, but the work has been reduced to a tryptich in this reproduction. The upper register (row) of the opened view shows a Diesis of Christ the King, Virgin Mary and John the Baptist. They are flanked by images of angels singing and playing music, and, on the outermost panels, Adam and Eve. The lower register of the central panel shows the adoration of the Lamb of God, with several groups in attendance or streaming in to worship, overseen by the dove of the Holy Spirit.

When the outer leaves are closed, as in Advent, the backs of the side wings show a further twelve panels. The upper rows show scenes from the Annunciation of Mary. The four lower register panels are divided into two pairs; sculptural grisaille paintings of John the Baptist and John the Evangelist, and on the two outer panels, donor portraits of Joost Vijdt and his wife Lysbette Borluut. A photograph of these panels can be seen of the Wikipedia page below.

See the Wikipedia page for further details.

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