Aachen Altar Aachen Altar The Aachen Altar (de: "Aachener Altar") or Passion Altar ("Passionsaltar") is a late gothic passion triptych in the Aachen Cathedral Treasury, made by the so-called Master of the Aachen Altar around 1515/20 in Cologne, Germany. The open, three winged polyptych altar image shows scenes from the Passion of Christ to his Ascension in continuous sequence from left to right. At the assumed time of composition, this type of depiction was already well-established. On the left wing of the altar, Jesus is crowned with the Crown of thorns and confronts Pontius Pilate. The central panel depicts the Stations of
Altar in the Catholic Church often backed by a painting or sculpture that visually seemed to form a single unit with the altar. There has been no Church legislation on these artworks, which vary enormously in form. The terminology, too, is somewhat fluid. The term "altarpiece" is applied very widely to them. A reredos is normally a quite large altarpiece placed on the ground between the altar and the wall and can include paintings or sculptures and may even hold stands for flowers and candlesticks. A retable is normally placed on the altar itself or on a stand behind it or may be attached to