Altarpiece two, three, and multiple panels respectively. In the thirteenth century each panel was usually surmounted with a pinnacle, but during the Renaissance, single panel, or "pala", altarpieces became the norm. In both cases the supporting plinth, or "predella" often featured supplementary and related paintings. If the altar stands free in the choir, both sides of the altarpiece can be covered with painting. The screen, retable or reredos are commonly decorated. Groups of statuary can also be placed "on" an altar. A single church can furthermore house several altarpieces on side-altars in chapels. Sometimes the altarpiece is set on the altar
Santa Maria dei Fossi Altarpiece Santa Maria dei Fossi Altarpiece The Santa Maria dei Fossi Altarpiece is a 1496-1498 painting by Pinturicchio, now in the Galleria nazionale dell'Umbria in Perugia. Unusually for an altarpiece, it is painted on canvas stretched over wooden panels. It was commissioned for the high altar of the church of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Perugia, also known as Santa Maria dei Fossi. The contract for the work is dated 14 February 1496 and contains detailed instructions for its production and for its wooden frame by Mattia di Tommaso da Reggio, which imitated the architecture of the church's facade. The painter