Design for an Altar Chapel, Farnborough, England 1880 - 1886

Jules-Edmond-Charles Lachaise created this design for an altar chapel in Farnborough, England using graphite and watercolor. Lachaise’s design presents us with a fascinating intersection of religious architecture and social hierarchy. The chapel, with its gothic-style windows and ornate floral decorations, speaks to a tradition of religious spaces as sites of reverence. Yet, the inclusion of what appears to be a coat of arms above the altar introduces a layer of social and political meaning. Coats of arms have historically signified noble lineage, family history, and aristocratic status, and so it may suggest a connection between the church, its patronage and the upper echelons of English society. Consider how the design of the chapel might reflect the social structures of the time, with its emphasis on religious devotion on the one hand and aristocratic power on the other. Historical documents about the region, the architecture, and the commissioner can all reveal a great deal about the social context that informed the design.