Ecouen altar and altarpiece

Localisation : Chapel
Année de création :1540-1550
Artiste :Anonymous

Description

This altar once occupied the chapel in the Château d’Écouen, which, along with Chantilly, was one of Constable Anne de Montmorency’s residences. The front and small sides of the altar show the four evangelists, separated by a decor of niches featuring the three theological virtues – Faith, Hope and Charity – and by pilasters inspired by antiquity but adapted to suit a French style by Jean Goujon’s entourage. The sculpted altarpiece shows the sacrifice of Isaac in bas-relief, an uncommon scene for an altarpiece, but translating the constable’s taste for Old Testament iconography, in a troubled religious context. Dismantled during the Revolution, it was installed in Chantilly in the chapel designed for the Duke of Aumale, built between 1875 and 1885.