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A retable is a term of ecclesiastical art
Christian art

Christian art is art produced in an attempt to illustrate, supplement and portray in tangible form the principles of Christianity. Virtually all Christian groupings use or have used art to some extent....
 and ecclesiastical architecture
Church architecture

Church architecture or ecclesiastical architecture refers to the architecture of buildings of Christianity churches. It has evolved over the two thousand years of the Christian religion, partly by innovation and partly by imitating other architectural styles as well as responding to changing beliefs, practices and local traditions....
, applied in modern English usage to an altar
Altar

An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices and votive offerings are made for religion, or some other sacred place where ceremonies take place....
-ledge or shelf, raised slightly above the back of the altar or communion
Mass (liturgy)

The Mass is the Eucharistic celebration in the Latin liturgical rites of the Roman Catholic Church. The term is used also of similar celebrations in Old Catholic Churches, in the Anglo-Catholic tradition of Anglicanism, and in some largely High Church Lutheranism Lutheranism regions, including the Scandinavian and Baltic states countries....
 table, on which are placed the cross
Cross

A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars perpendicular to each other, dividing one or two of the lines in half. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally; if they run diagonally, the design is technically termed a saltire....
, ceremonial candlesticks
Candlestick

A candlestick, chamberstick, or single candelabrum is a holder for one or more candles, used for illumination, rituals or decorative purposes....
 and other ornaments. Such retables may be lawfully used in the Church of England
Church of England

The Church of England is the State religion Christianity Ecclesia in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the oldest among the communion's thirty-eight independent national and regional churches....
.

Foreign usage of the term, as in French
French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
, is different, and where the word is kept with this foreign application, the distinction should be observed.






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A retable is a term of ecclesiastical art
Christian art

Christian art is art produced in an attempt to illustrate, supplement and portray in tangible form the principles of Christianity. Virtually all Christian groupings use or have used art to some extent....
 and ecclesiastical architecture
Church architecture

Church architecture or ecclesiastical architecture refers to the architecture of buildings of Christianity churches. It has evolved over the two thousand years of the Christian religion, partly by innovation and partly by imitating other architectural styles as well as responding to changing beliefs, practices and local traditions....
, applied in modern English usage to an altar
Altar

An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices and votive offerings are made for religion, or some other sacred place where ceremonies take place....
-ledge or shelf, raised slightly above the back of the altar or communion
Mass (liturgy)

The Mass is the Eucharistic celebration in the Latin liturgical rites of the Roman Catholic Church. The term is used also of similar celebrations in Old Catholic Churches, in the Anglo-Catholic tradition of Anglicanism, and in some largely High Church Lutheranism Lutheranism regions, including the Scandinavian and Baltic states countries....
 table, on which are placed the cross
Cross

A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars perpendicular to each other, dividing one or two of the lines in half. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally; if they run diagonally, the design is technically termed a saltire....
, ceremonial candlesticks
Candlestick

A candlestick, chamberstick, or single candelabrum is a holder for one or more candles, used for illumination, rituals or decorative purposes....
 and other ornaments. Such retables may be lawfully used in the Church of England
Church of England

The Church of England is the State religion Christianity Ecclesia in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the oldest among the communion's thirty-eight independent national and regional churches....
.

Foreign usage of the term, as in French
French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
, is different, and where the word is kept with this foreign application, the distinction should be observed. The Middle Latin retrotabulum (modernized retabulum) was applied to an architectural feature set up at the back of an altar, and generally taking the form of a screen framing a picture, carved or sculptured work in wood or stone, or mosaic
Mosaic

Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other material. It may be a technique of Decorative arts, an aspect of interior decoration or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral....
, or of a movable feature such as the famous Pala d'Oro
Pala d'Oro

Pala d?Oro is the high altar retable of the Basilica di San Marco in Venice. It is universally recognized as one of the most refined and accomplished works of Byzantine art, with both front and rear sides decorated....
 in St Mark's Basilica
St Mark's Basilica

Saint Mark's Basilica , the cathedral of Venice, is the most famous of the city's Church and one of the best known examples of Byzantine architecture....
, Venice
Venice

Venice is a city in northern Italy, the capital city of the Italian regions Veneto, a population of 271,251 . Together with Padua, Italy, the city is included in the Padua-Venice Metropolitan Area ....
, of gold, jewels and enamels. The foreign retable is, therefore, what should in English be called a reredos
Reredos

There are two common meanings of the word reredos. In general architecture, the word can mean the back of an open hearth of a fireplace or a screen placed behind a table....
, though that is not in modern usage a movable feature.