Plant Expert Lecture Series “Plants of the Ackermann Door Portal”

One of the most colourful examples in Estonian art history of an interior portal with plant ornamentation is a wooden ornamental portal dating from 1681, carved by Christian Ackermann, a master active in Tallinn. It is a unique work commissioned to decorate the family room (Dörnse) of the merchant Johan Höppner and presented as a gift to his wife. This interior portal is also special because it is still the only surviving non-ecclesiastical work attributed to Ackermann. Botanist Krista Kaur has thoroughly analysed and interpreted the plant ornamentation. In the lecture, we will hear how the researcher herself has described her findings. The design of the portal displays the nature-oriented ornamentation characteristic of the taste of the late 17th century: the pilasters, cornice brackets and plinths are richly decorated with plant motifs. The garlands of flowers surrounding the capitals are also masterfully interwoven with the so-called “putto heads” characteristic of Ackermann, which give the work a lively and playful appearance and emphasise the imaginative quality typical of his oeuvre.