Keywords: St Matthews Douglas 1.jpg en Working with John Loughborough Pearson Nathaniel Hitch carved the reredos for St Matthew ™s Church in Douglas in the Isle of Man shown here The work was finished in March 1916 It is in the form of a triptych carved in wood decorated in gesso gilded and painted It is 13 feet high from the Altar step to the top of the cornice and 14 feet across the wings The design is intended to illustrate the Doctrine of the Incarnation and the central subject consists of a representation of the Adoration of the Magi; carved in high relief In the centre is the Virgin Mother seated under a curtained canopy with the Holy Child on her knee and grouped around the three kings in attitudes of adoration presenting their gifts with Saint Joseph in the background In the panels on either side are soldiers and servants attending the kings In the top panel is the figure of our Lord seated in Majesty with hands extended in blessing and on either side angels with censers On the wings are figures executed in gesso The lower panel represents St Matthew in whose honour the Church is dedicated then St Clement St Ignatius and St Polycarp the three sub-apostolic Fathers The Predella is decorated in gesso work with four angels holding shields bearing the instruments of the Passion on a richly decorated background On the moulded base is the text Et incarnatus est de Sancto Spiritu own Weglinde Gordon Lawson Cc-zero Sculptures by Nathaniel Hitch Douglas Man |