Altarpiece: (sculpture).

Altarpiece: (sculpture).

Christenson, Lars, 1839-1910, sculptor.

Altarpiece: (sculpture).

12 ft. 7 1/2 in. x 10 ft. 3 1/2 in.

Altarpiece is a triptych with the central panel being an image of Christ and the two thieves being crucified. Various religious stories are carved on the panels surrounding the central image--these include the Nativity, the Last Supper, the Ascension, and Christ as a youth.

Religion -- New Testament -- Christ

Religion -- New Testament -- Nativity

Religion -- New Testament -- Last Supper

Religion -- New Testament -- Crucifixion

Vesterheim, Norwegian-American Museum, Luther College, 502 West Walter Street, Decorah, Iowa 52101

Christenson did not complete the altarpiece because the congregation of the church it was intended for rejected it. The three lower panels are empty.

Coen, Rena Neumann, "Painting and Sculpture in Minnesota, 1820-1914," Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1976.

Coen, Rena Neumann, "Painting and Sculpture in Minnesota, 1820-1914," Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1976, pl. 22 and detail on pg. 64.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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