altarpiece

[ awl-ter-pees ]

noun

1. a painted or carved screen behind or above the altar or communion table in Christian churches; reredos.

altarpiece

/ ˈɔːltəˌpiːs /

noun

1. a work of art set above and behind an altar; a reredos

Word History and Origins

Origin of altarpiece¹

First recorded in 1635–45; altar + piece

Example Sentences

“I’m going to have these symbolic marigolds all the way around the building on the surface of the wall, like you would see in an altarpiece for the Day of the Dead,” Vargas said.

From Los Angeles Times

The wings, Israels said, would have been scraped off when the altarpiece was disassembled and the wing fragments would no longer have made sense.

From Seattle Times

Because of both their size and their age, the altarpieces could not be taken out of the museum during the building’s recent overhaul.

From New York Times

He cannot make himself stay in town, even to finish the altarpiece.

From Literature

Not much is known about his early life and training, but he made a steady living with commissions for portraits of nobility, historical subjects and church altarpieces — more skilled journeyman than virtuoso.

From Los Angeles Times