Eikenhouten altaarstuk uit de Sint-Waltrudiskerk in Herentals, opgesteld op een tentoonstelling over religieuze objecten uit de middeleeuwen en renaissance in 1864 in Mechelen before 1866

Joseph Maes captured this photograph of an oak altarpiece from Sint-Waltrudiskerk in Herentals, Belgium, during an 1864 exhibition in Mechelen. These exhibitions of religious objects in the mid-19th century were a manifestation of a broader cultural and political interest in the medieval and renaissance past. The Catholic Church, experiencing a revival after periods of revolution and secularization, sought to reassert its influence through art and architecture. Photography played a key role, documenting and disseminating images of religious art, architecture and objects. This image is more than just a record. Maes has presented the altarpiece as a cultural artifact, worthy of study and admiration. It invited viewers to engage with religious art removed from its original sacred context. To fully understand this image, we would need to investigate the specific historical context of the exhibition, the intentions of the organizers, and the reception of the exhibited objects by the public.