Lecture series “Plants of Ackermann’s Door Portal”

One of the most colourful examples of Estonian art history is a wooden portal with plant ornamentation from 1681, carved by the Tallinn master Christian Ackermann. It is a unique work, commissioned to decorate the family room (Dörnse) of the merchant Johan Höppner and given as a gift to his wife.

The portal is special because it is the only surviving non-ecclesiastical work attributed to Ackermann to this day. The botanist Krista Kaur has analysed the plant ornamentation in depth and interpreted it. In the lecture we will hear how the researcher herself has described her findings.

The design of the portal reflects the nature-close ornament characteristic of the taste of the late 17th century: the pilasters, cornice brackets and plinths are richly decorated with plant motifs. Woven among the flower vases surrounding the capitals are also the so-called “putti heads”, which are characteristic of Ackermann and give the work a lively, playful look and underline the fantasy richness of his art.