Plants, Books and Prayers. Dialogues between Image, Text and Nature on the Bollnäs Holy Kinship Altarpiece
Plants, Books and Prayers. Dialogues between Image, Text and Nature on the Bollnäs Holy Kinship Altarpiece

Summary/Abstract: This article examines the iconographic and epigraphic programme of the Bollnäs Holy Kinship altarpiece, attributed to Michel Sittow’s Tallinn workshop in the 1510s–1520s. Previous research focused on attribution and stylistic connections; this study shifts attention to the altarpiece’s integrated visual and textual discourse. A special focus is on two under-explored elements: botanically accurate medicinal plants at the apostles’ feet and Latin inscriptions on the garments of the members of the Holy Kinship in the corpus of the altarpiece. The plants evoke the medieval liber naturae, emphasising practical knowledge and humility, while the inscriptions reference liturgical prayers and Scripture (liber scripturae). Together, these elements create a coherent epistemic system, combining image, text and nature to convey religious meaning. The altarpiece functions as a multisensory devotional medium, guiding viewers through visual recognition, reading and memory, and linking everyday observation with sacred knowledge and prayer.

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