Claire Tabouret & Nathan Thelen

Altar (brown), 2023

African mahogany, stained glass, brass | 22 x 11 ½ x 6 in

Altar is a collaborative sculpture created by Claire Tabouret and her husband Nathan Thelen. It pays homage to the celebrated artist and occultist Pamela Colman Smith (1878-1951) , recognized for her illustrations in the famous Rider-Waite Tarot deck. Tabouret skillfully translates Smith's watercolor self portraits into stained glass panels, while Thelen frames them in a hand-carved mahogany sconce. Within the sculpture, Tabouret’s delicate face emerges, softly illuminated by a small votive candle.