’I am the True Vine.’ Allegorical Motif on a Fifteenth-Century Ceramic Mould from the Pirita Convent
’I am the True Vine.’ Allegorical Motif on a Fifteenth-Century Ceramic Mould from the Pirita Convent

Summary/Abstract: This article examines fragments of two miniature relief moulds found in the Pirita convent near Tallinn. They were made in the central Rhineland and are the only surviving examples of late medieval ceramic matrices in Estonia. One of them bears the motif of Christ the True Vine (John 15). The iconography and meaning of the motif are analysed in the context of the Brigittine spirituality of the convent and the devotional life of the time. The topic on the other mould is also revealed. The choice of imagery on the ceramic moulds and their possible function are discussed.

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