The three Altarpiece works were the final series in the 'Paintings of the Temple' collection and are possibly inspired by Theosophy’s version of evolutionary theory, in which evolution occurs in two directions, elevating from the physical to the spiritual and descending from the divine to the material world One of a series of three significant works, they were intended to be shown together in a sanctuary, or in the innermost part of the temple. The artist uses metallic leaf as a means to expressing the importance that these canvases played in this series
