Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A structure forming the back of an altar, especially.
- noun An overhanging shelf for lights and ornaments.
- noun A frame enclosing painted panels.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A structure raised above an altar at the back, either independent in itself, or forming a decorative frame to a picture, a bas-relief, or the like, in which case the word includes the work of art itself.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Eccl.) A shelf behind the altar, for display of lights, vases of flowers, etc.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A
table orshelf behind analtar , on which are placedimages or holyobjects
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Above the retable is the Madonna with two saints on either side: the crucifix surmounts the whole composition.
Donatello, by Lord Balcarres David Lindsay Crawford 1905
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Among its interior decorations is a retable which is the work of the
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 6: Fathers of the Church-Gregory XI 1840-1916 1913
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The face of this structure which looks towards the nave of the church is called the "retable", and the reverse is called the "counter-retable".
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 1: Aachen-Assize 1840-1916 1913
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This large retable portrays Ludovic II of Saluzzo together with his wife Marguerite de Foix; it is now attributed to Hans Clemer, the ‘Master of Elva’ and is housed in the Casa Cavassa in Saluzzo.
Archive 2009-04-01 Lu 2009
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The office lights and flowers have been moved back to a new retable.
Scenes from yesteryear Fr Timothy Matkin 2008
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Even if I retable the motion, they will only talk it out again.
Imperium Robert Harris 2006
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Even if I retable the motion, they will only talk it out again.
Imperium Robert Harris 2006
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In their mother's room hung a replica of the matador's last suit of lights, slim-waisted and elegant, while in another room known as the chapel because of the silver retable, at which Leal had worshipped before his fights, hung suspended the head of the great Palafox bull that had killed their father.
Mexico Michener, James 1992
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Le Vent: tentative de restitution d'un retable baroque.
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An altarpiece or retable, is a decorated panel attached to or set directly behind the altar.
A Handbook of Symbols in Christian Art Gertrude Grace Sill 1975
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