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"Christ the Carpenter" World War II Portable Altarpiece
Philadelphia Naval Base Chapel
,
1900-1949
During World War II, the Citizens Committee of the Army and Navy commissioned artists to design portable altarpieces to be used in military chapels on land and sea. Composed of metal or wood, they were in the form of triptychs that could be easily transported and stored when not in use. The artists received an honorarium of $200 to $300 dollars for their labor. Twenty-four altarpieces made by Violet Oakley between 1941 and 1946 have been identified but only a few have been located. The most impressive altarpiece was the monumental Christ the Carpenter for the Philadelphia Navy Yard. The shipyard and naval base was working around the clock to produce the boats and submarines for the war. Oakley did many fine studies for the primary image of Jesus building a boat and the two figures flanking him. Christ is a strong young man in a tunic at a workbench bearing lumber on his shoulder that foreshadows his carrying of the cross. Oakley assumed her altarpiece would become permanent, but its current location is unknown.
Works in Woodmere’s Collection
Study for water maiden, "Christ the Carpenter" World War II portable altarpiece, for Philadelphia Naval Base Chapel
No items found.
Study for water maiden, "Christ the Carpenter" World War II portable altarpiece, for Philadelphia Naval Base Chapel
No items found.
Study for two doves, "Christ the Carpenter" World War II portable altarpiece, for Philadelphia Naval Base Chapel
No items found.
Composition study for "Christ the Carpenter" World War II portable altarpiece, for Philadelphia Naval Base Chapel
No items found.
Composition study for "Christ the Carpenter" World War II portable altarpiece, for Philadelphia Naval Base Chapel
No items found.
Study for Christ, "Christ the Carpenter" World War II portable altarpiece, for Philadelphia Naval Base Chapel
No items found.
Study for Christ Building the Ship, "Christ the Carpenter" World War II portable altarpiece, for Philadelphia Naval Base Chapel
No items found.
Study for Christ, center panel, "Christ the Carpenter" World War II portable altarpiece, for Philadelphia Naval Base Chapel
No items found.
Study for Christ, "Christ the Carpenter" World War II portable altarpiece, for Philadelphia Naval Base Chapel
No items found.
Study for Christ, "Christ the Carpenter" World War II portable altarpiece, for Philadelphia Naval Base Chapel
No items found.
Study for Christ, "Christ the Carpenter" World War II portable altarpiece, for Philadelphia Naval Base Chapel
No items found.
Works in Other Collections
Study for Decorative Figure, "Christ the Carpenter," World War II portable altarpiece, for Philadelphia Naval Base Chapel, 1945, by Violet Oakley (Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts: Gift of the Violet Oakley Memorial Foundation, https://www.pafa.org/collection/study-decorative-figure-part-altarpiece-chapel-philadelphia-naval-base)
Study for Christ, "Christ the Carpenter" World War II portable altarpiece, for Philadelphia Naval Base Chapel, c. 1944, by Violet Oakley (Woodmere Art Museum: Gift of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, 2015)|Study for Christ, "Christ the Carpenter" World War II portable altarpiece, for Philadelphia Naval Base Chapel, c. 1944, by Violet Oakley (Woodmere Art Museum: Gift of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, 2015)|Study for Decorative Figure, (part of an altarpiece in the chapel of the Philadelphia Naval Base), 1945, by Violet Oakley (Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts: Gift of the Violet Oakley Memorial Foundation, https://www.pafa.org/collection/study-decorative-figure-part-altarpiece-chapel-philadelphia-naval-base)|Study for water maiden, "Christ the Carpenter" World War II portable altarpiece, for Philadelphia Naval Base Chapel, c. 1944, by Violet Oakley (Woodmere Art Museum: Gift of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, 2015)|Study for two doves, "Christ the Carpenter" World War II portable altarpiece, for Philadelphia Naval Base Chapel, c. 1944, by Violet Oakley (Woodmere Art Museum: Gift of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, 2015)|Composition study for "Christ the Carpenter" World War II portable altarpiece, for Philadelphia Naval Base Chapel, c. 1944, by Violet Oakley (Woodmere Art Museum: Gift of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, 2015)
Historical Images
Violet Oakley and naval officers at the dedication of her triptych altarpiece "Christ the Carpenter" at the Philadelphia Naval Base Chapel, c. 1944 (Violet Oakley papers, 1841-1981. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution)
Related Works in Woodmere’s Collection
No items found.
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