At the turn of the 16th century, the primary purpose of painting in Europe remained to produce Christian art. Altarpieces like Jan Gossaert’s Adoration of the Kings provided a splendid backdrop to the celebration of Mass. By including donor figures, altarpieces could also commemorate the people who had commissioned them. The two large panels by Gerard David, the leading painter in Bruges at the time, feature vivid portraits of their donors.
Altarpieces could comprise several panels hinged together: triptychs (made of three panels) had wings that would open and close like doors; diptychs (made of two panels) folded like books. In modern times, these were often dismantled or cut up to make them easier to sell on the art market. This was the fate of several works in this room.
In addition to their role in church ritual, paintings were also created for the private devotion of members of religious orders and laypeople. Spiritual reform movements encouraged Christians to use images as a focus for meditation on the lives of Christ and the saints. Often small, portable and very detailed, these works were meant to be handled and examined close-up. They could be stored away in cases or wrapped in precious fabric and were not necessarily meant to hang on a wall as they do now in gallery settings.
