Renæssanceforum 12 • 2017
Martin Wangsgaard Jürgensen
Det syndige menneske og kærligheden til Gud. Peder. Trellunds andagtstavle fra 1586
The Sinful Man and The Love of God. Peter Trellund's devotional board from 1586
Det syndige menneske og kærligheden til Gud. Peder. Trellunds andagtstavle fra 1586
The Sinful Man and The Love of God. Peter Trellund's devotional board from 1586
This article presents the altarpiece-like object donated to the Danish King Frederik II in 1586 by the master calligrapher Peter Trellund from Ribe. The piece has been in the National Museum in Copenhagen since 1877 but has received almost no scholarly attention despite its lavish style. The board is composed of 21 panels with ornate writing inserted into a frame in the style of the early Renaissance of northern Europe. This article identifies the inscriptions on the board and discusses their meaning with regard to the function of the piece. The conclusion is that Trellund's gift to the king is to be understood as a Lutheran devotional object addressing the sinful nature of man and how man is to gain salva-tion through faith alone, to be used in the private meditations of the king.