Stipes

This article deals with the stipes as the substructure of the altar. For the eponymous section of the insect maxilla see Stipes (insect) .

Column stipes of the Brunswick Marien Altar from 1188

The stipes ( lat. Thick stake , block of wood ) is the substructure of a Christian altar on which the altar plate ( cafeteria ) rests. It can consist of a solid block or individual legs like a table ( table altar ), which are sometimes designed as columns or figuratively as religious caryatids . The stipes can be covered with an antependium made of marble, metal or embroidered fabric.

literature

• Simone Epking: The development of the altar style in Florence from the 12th to the 15th century. Weimar: VDG 2005. ISBN 3-89739-504-5