St Géry Church of Boussu (BE) and the Altarpiece of the Virgin: insights into wood supplying strategies

[en] In 2020–2021, the KIK-IRPA laboratory of dendrochronology studied the roof frame of the Chapel of the Lords of Boussu (Belgium), housing the finest collection of Renaissance mausoleums in Belgium. The aim of our dendro-archaeological analysis was to determine the authenticity of its construction because of its strange asymmetry with the church St. Gery to which it is appended. The study revealed it is original and that the trees were felled in autumn-winter 1480-1481. Interestingly, this dating was mainly obtained by chronologies from works of art. In 2022-2023, the sculpted Altarpiece of the Virgin, conserved in this chapel and attributed to the Brussels 16th-century workshop of Pasquier Borman (unknown commissioner), was analysed during its study and conservation treatment. Dendrochronological comparisons brought to light that planks from the architectural decoration, small decorative figurines and some of the main sculptures could come from a single tree (last ring, without sapwood: 1486). It was also intriguing to note that one of the highest t-values for dating the altarpiece was given by the tree-ring data from the chapel’s framework. This raised then the question of the possible links between the commissions of the two structures, the chapel and the altar. In this paper, we propose to consider these results from the angle of wood procurement strategies and resource economics, e.g., in terms of quality of the oak used, woodworking techniques, dimensions of the timbers, provenance, with an underlying issue on the identification of wooden pieces coming from the same tree.

Disciplines :

Archaeology

Author, co-author :

Labbas, Vincent ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Unités de recherche interfacultaires > Art, Archéologie et Patrimoine (AAP)

Maggi, Christophe ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences historiques > Archéométrie - Archéologie médiévale et post-médiévale ; IRPA-KIK

Fraiture, Pascale ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences historiques > Archéométrie - Archéologie médiévale et post-médiévale ; IRPA-KIK

Language :

English

Title :

St Géry Church of Boussu (BE) and the Altarpiece of the Virgin: insights into wood supplying strategies

Publication date :

2026

Journal title :

Dendrochronologia

ISSN :

1125-7865

eISSN :

1612-0051

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Available on ORBi :

since 01 March 2026

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