Eventually, in 1935, the parish priest of Buschwiller acquired the altarpiece. The altar was still not secure from invading forces however as the Second World War came about, so once again it was dismantled to protect it from hostile forces. After the war concluded, the altarpiece was once again brought out of safekeeping and returned to the parish church. Then, in its third and final challenge in its long history, in 1964 a restoration program was undertaken. While that in itself is a good thing of course, unfortunately this 'restoration' rather short-sightedly opted to paint over the altarpiece in a greyish-white paint -- because in point of fact, this altar was historically a polychromatic altarpiece that was characterized by rich colour (much like late gothic altarpieces are).
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| A digitized approximation of the basic colour schema found beneath the grey paint that now covers it |
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| Detail revealing some of the colour beneath the greyish-white paint |
Fortunately, there is presently a fundraising initiative underway that seeks to raise the necessary funds to properly restore the polychromatic qualities of this splendid baroque era altarpiece. (At present 125 donors have raised over 31,565 EUR of the needed €45,000. If you're interested in potentially donating toward the restoration of this altarpiece yourself, please see the fundraising page).
Even covered in grey paint, however, the altarpiece is striking. containing a beautiful central carved image of the Nativity. Above it we find a depiction of Mary and Joseph's flight into Egypt, and below, another depicting the Holy Family at home. Framing the central medallion and drawing our attention to it are two full-figured angels and another six cherubs are placed above and below. (A seventh crowns the very top of the reredos).
