Salvatore LaRosa

A Chinese scholar’s rock (left) and LaRosa’s Face Tabernacle (right) flank the door to the study the artist regards as his own tabernacle.
Tabernacle Study (Entry)
Seen from above, the open dome of this bronze sanctuary funnels light onto a gilded cup, the radiant presence in the cave-like interior.
1
The stone abstraction of a tree trunk supports a fireplace where burning wood recalls the life-giving warmth that begins and ends in dust.
2
An ancient fertility symbol, vesica in Latin, inspired the curves of a garden stele, or upright shaft, that gracefully channels rainwater.
3
Although the marble niche and porcelain vessel allude to specific Christian rites, their luminosity evokes nonsectarian transcendence.
4
Inspired by American Indian lore, a two-part wooden “mask” slides open to expose its animate “spirit” (a Lauretta Vinciarelli watercolor).
5
Drapery-like doors guard a cup for use at seders. This nod to the biblical Miriam’s well honors women’s ongoing contributions to Judaism.
6
A vase inside a bronze urn holds a freshly cut branch, a memento of the Tree of Life that flourished in Adam and Eve's lost paradise.
7
The endless circle of a communion plate haloes a crushed pinecone’s mortal remains (found by LaRosa on a nature walk and cast in bronze).
8
  1. 8.
    Tabernacle Study (Entry)
  2. 9.
    Embodied Light
  3. 10.
    Pietà
  4. 11.
    Processional Cross
  5. 12.
    Bird Table
  6. 13.
    Vesica Diskos
  7. 14.
    Tabernacle Study (exit)
  8. For more about numbered pieces, see catalogue
A Chinese scholar’s rock (left) and LaRosa’s Face Tabernacle (right) flank the door to the study the artist regards as his own tabernacle.
8
Although the marble niche and porcelain vessel allude to specific Christian rites, their luminosity evokes nonsectarian transcendence.
9
The endless circle of a communion plate haloes a crushed pinecone’s mortal remains (found by LaRosa on a nature walk and cast in bronze).
13

Salvatore LaRosa

A Chinese scholar’s rock (left) and LaRosa’s Face Tabernacle (right) flank the door to the study the artist regards as his own tabernacle.
Tabernacle Study (Entry)
A Chinese scholar’s rock (left) and LaRosa’s Face Tabernacle (right) flank the door to the study the artist regards as his own tabernacle.
8
Although the marble niche and porcelain vessel allude to specific Christian rites, their luminosity evokes nonsectarian transcendence.
9
Summoning up the Passion, Lamentation, and Entombment, the flow of a bronze-cast root embodies Mary’s veil, her tears, and Jesus’ shroud.
10
This version of the T-shaped, or tau, cross (a storied Christian emblem) stands ready to be hoisted from its base and carried forward.
11
12
The endless circle of a communion plate haloes a crushed pinecone’s mortal remains (found by LaRosa on a nature walk and cast in bronze).
13
Mounted on the interior wall above LaRosa's study door, his Calvary Diptych confers a benediction on every return to the outside world.
14
A Chinese scholar’s rock (left) and LaRosa’s Face Tabernacle (right) flank the door to the study the artist regards as his own tabernacle.
8
Although the marble niche and porcelain vessel allude to specific Christian rites, their luminosity evokes nonsectarian transcendence.
9
Summoning up the Passion, Lamentation, and Entombment, the flow of a bronze-cast root embodies Mary’s veil, her tears, and Jesus’ shroud.
10
This version of the T-shaped, or tau, cross (a storied Christian emblem) stands ready to be hoisted from its base and carried forward.
11
12
The endless circle of a communion plate haloes a crushed pinecone’s mortal remains (found by LaRosa on a nature walk and cast in bronze).
13
Mounted on the interior wall above LaRosa's study door, his Calvary Diptych confers a benediction on every return to the outside world.
14
  1. 8.
    Tabernacle Study (Entry)
  2. 9.
    Embodied Light
  3. 10.
    Pietà
  4. 11.
    Processional Cross
  5. 12.
    Bird Table
  6. 13.
    Vesica Diskos
  7. 14.
    Tabernacle Study (exit)
  8. For more about numbered pieces, see catalogue