Altarpiece

The altarpiece of OLV-Lombeek comes from the Brussels school, which is confirmed by a quality mark at the bottom. It was made around 1520 and is attributed to master sculptor Jan Borman. Several stylistic features point to this, although some art critics also note stylistic elements that are not typical of the work of Borman's school. The altarpiece consists of about 1200 parts, of which 120 figurines. Striking are the perspective effects that are created in each panel, although the real depth is only a 15 cm. It is somewhat unclear whether the altarpiece was ever polychromed, as was usually the case. It may be that the cost was already so high that the coloring of the images was abandoned. Curiously, the painters were even better paid than the sculptors, because they put the final expression in the images. It is also possible that in one of the later restorations the paint layer of the statues was taken. The back of the side panels was painted but unfortunately that paintwork was badly damaged by moisture when it stood against a wall for years.

est2000