The majority of studies on Italian Renaissance altarpieces continue to focus on works of painting. For this session I seek papers that examine the design, development, and reception of sculpted altarpieces in different areas of Italy. This group may include any altar decoration made from materials other than painting, such as stone, marble, stucco, terracotta, or metals. How was the approach to decorating an altar changed or inflected by the choice of medium? Did the path of sculpted altarpieces’ development diverge or differ from that of painted ones? A variety of methodological approaches is welcome. Papers focusing on the areas of Lombardy, Liguria, Naples, or Sicily are particularly encouraged. Topics may include, but are not limited to:

• The typological and formal development of sculpted altarpieces.
• Issues or trends relating to the patronage of these objects.
• Stylistic and critical exchanges between painters and sculptors manifested through altarpieces.
• The interplay between architecture and altar decoration.
• Issues of materiality, and phenomenological responses to sculpted altarpieces.

Please submit paper title, a 150-word abstract and 1-page C.V. to Lorenzo Buonanno at lgb2108columbia.edu by June 1st.