Design for an altar 1686 - 1724

This is Hendrik-Frans Verbruggen’s pen and brown ink with gray wash design for an altar, from the late 17th or early 18th century. Verbruggen, a member of a family of sculptors, lived in a historical period marked by Counter-Reformation art, designed to reinforce the doctrines of the Catholic Church. This design sketches a space for religious ceremony and contemplation. Angels and drapes frame an altar, while the use of light and shadow adds depth. Altars are a nexus of identity and communal gathering, and also carry complex histories marked by the intersection of religious power and cultural expression. Here, the altar becomes a stage for spiritual drama, reflecting the Baroque period’s emotional intensity. It evokes the tension between earthly and divine realms, and suggests the possibility of transformation through faith. What does this staging make you feel?