Recent Events of Towneley Hall Society
Monday, September 18th 2006
Susan Bourne’s Presentation about The Towneley Hall Altar Piece.
The Altar Piece in Towneley Hall’s Chapel was created by the Antwerp Mannerist Artists in the sixteenth century. Although now it is plain oak it is thought that originally it would have been painted and gilded in a highly decorative style. In the 18th century, Charles Towneley, a prolific collector, purchased the altarpiece for the chapel at Towneley Hall – alterations to the chapel were made in 1803 and the Flemish altarpiece may have been installed at this time. In 1969, helped by Arts funding, the altarpiece was purchased from the Covent of Notre Dame, Sussex and re-installed in the chapel at Towneley. After a fascinating, illustrated lecture by Susan Bourne, curator at Towneley Hall, members of the society made their way to the chapel to view the altarpiece. Lit by a strong spotlight, the beautiful carvings came to life and the three dimensional quality could be fully appreciated. Each figure would have been carved separately by different carvers as could be seen by the differing styles and interpretations of the same characters in different tableaux. Everyone agreed that Susan’s lecture and being able to see the altarpiece spotlighted had brought about a greater appreciation of the magnificence of this artwork.
