The Significance of Cloth in the Narrative of the Life of Christ as Represented in Dieric Bouts' "Life of Christ Altarpiece"

Author

Mary-Margaret McLeod PillingFollow

Degree Name

BA

Department

Humanities, Classics, and Comparative Literature

College

Humanities

Defense Date

2018-03-09

Publication Date

2018-04-28

First Faculty Advisor

Dr. Elliott Wise

First Faculty Reader

Dr. Heather Jensen

Honors Coordinator

Dr. Martha Moffitt Peacock

Keywords

art history, linen, Northern Renaissance, altarpiece

Abstract

This thesis explores the materialistic importance of cloth in the life of Jesus Christ and relates it to the disassembled Life of Christ Altarpiece painted by the Renaissance artist Dieric Bouts. References to cloth in the scriptural accounts of Christ’s life support the claim that there is deep theological significance to fabric. The medium of each of the paintings that comprised the altarpiece is a flax linen canvas, which, combined with the references to cloth throughout the compositions, parallels these references to cloth in the scriptures. The entire artwork serves as a metaphor for the Eucharist resting on linen on the altar and aids viewers in deepening their worship of Christ.

Copyright Statement

https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/

Copyright Date

2018-04-23

BYU ScholarsArchive Citation

McLeod Pilling, Mary-Margaret, "The Significance of Cloth in the Narrative of the Life of Christ as Represented in Dieric Bouts' "Life of Christ Altarpiece"" (2018). Undergraduate Honors Theses. 27.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/studentpub_uht/27

Handle

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/uht0027