The
Boulbon Altarpiece
Circa 1450
Provence
The
Louvre
The donor, in the habit of an Augustinian canon, is presented to the
Trinity by St. Agricolus, a 7th century bishop of Avignon who is the
patron saint of that city.
The manner of representing the Trinity is unusual, with the resurrected
Christ the most prominent figure, the Father represented as if in a
painting on the wall, and the Holy Spirit (as a dove) emanating from
the mouths of the Father and Son. This visually awkward way of
presenting the Holy Spirit is a reference to the Latin form of the
Nicene Creed, in which the Spirit "proceeds from the Father and the
Son." The creed did not originally have the phrase "and the Son,"
and in the eastern churches it still does not.
More of the Trinity
Photographed at the
site by Richard Stracke