Altarpiece

I walked through the sunlit Atrium of the Cleveland Museum of Art to the lower level of the old museum. There I wandered among medieval artifacts of our faith: Icons, reliquaries, chalices, patens, processional crosses and altars. In the dark and cool of that space I sat on a wooden bench before a mid-1400s altarpiece, painted in exquisite detail by an artist known only as “Master of the Schlagl Altarpiece.” There are nine, sequential panels that tell the story of the Passion of Christ, from prayer in the garden, trial, crucifixion to descent from the cross. I sat on that bench for a long time. People came and went: A school tour, an art student sketching, a guard who stood next to me and we talked of the altarpiece and Easter. A teenage couple came into the room. They held hands, laughed and flirted until they were before the Schlagl Altarpiece. They stood silent, their eyes following the visual narrative of the Passion. No one said “Oh, my God!” but the words did not need to be spoken. They stood there for several minutes and left, still holding hands.

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord!

Josh