Seminaari / Seminar: Üle mere – Yli meren

The networks connecting Estonia and Finland are based on geographical and linguistic closeness, and contacts between people with deep roots in the Middle Ages. Tallinn’s significance for the art and architecture of Medieval and Early Modern Finland is witnessed by surviving buildings, sculptures, altarpieces, and archival sources. Archaeological excavations at medieval village sites around Uusimaa have shown that, besides everyday necessities, peasants likely acquired such items as imported glass, ceramic vessels and cloth through their contacts in Tallinn. For the first time, the seminar will bring art historians, historians, and archaeologists together to look at the development of these artistic and cultural relations in the Long Middle Ages. New research results will be presented regarding questions concerning e.g. the forms of interaction and trade, origin of medieval wood sculptures, and mobility of stone church builders.

The seminar is organised in collaboration with Michel Sittow in the North? Altarpieces in Dialogue, a research and exhibition project of the Art Museum of Estonia / Niguliste Museum and Hälsingland Museum, and the research project Iconoclash of the University of Helsinki, led by Doc. Dr. Elina Räsänen and funded by the Kone Foundation. The seminar is in English. Free entry.

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Pitkäaikainen kulttuurinen yhteys nykyisten Viron ja Suomen alueiden välillä pohjaa maantieteelliseen ja kielelliseen läheisyyteen. Yli meren -seminaarissa pohditaan tämän ”kulttuurisen sillan” merkitystä keskiajalla ja uuden ajan alussa. Tallinnan kaupunki taidekeskuksena vaikutti Suomeen monin tavoin. Uusia tutkimustuloksia esiintuovat asiantuntijaesitelmät valottavat vuorovaikutuksen muotoja, kuten Tallinnan käsityöläisten ja taiteilijoiden (mm. Michel Sittow, Arent Passer, Tobias Heintze) valmistamia tilauksia, keskiajan puuveistosten valmistuspaikkoja ja kivikirkkojen rakentajien liikkuvuutta.

Seminaarin järjestävät yhteistyössä Viron Taidemuseon / Nigulisten museon ja Hälsinglandin museon tutkimus- ja näyttelyhanke Michel Sittow Põhjas? Altariretaablid kahekõnes – Michel Sittow in the North? Altarpieces in Dialogue sekä dosentti Elina Räsäsen johtama, Koneen säätiön rahoittama Kuvakalsketutkimushanke Helsingin yliopistosta. Seminaarin kieli on englanti. Vapaa pääsy.

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Pre-seminar excursion to the Finnish Heritage Agency’s Collections and Conservation Centre. From left: Greta Koppel, Tarmo Saaret, Jan Friedrich Richter, Elina Räsänen, Merike Kurisoo. Photo: Sofia Lahti.

Seminar program

10.30 Opening words
Doc. Dr. Ilona Pikkanen, Research manager at the research department Finnish Literature Society
Tarmo Saaret, MA, Director of the Niguliste Museum, branch of the Art Museum of Estonia
Doc. Dr. Elina Räsänen and Dr. Merike Kurisoo, leaders of the projects Iconoclash/Kuvakalske and Michel Sittow in the North? Altarpieces in Dialogue

Chair: Elina Räsänen
11.00–11.30
Dr. Merike Kurisoo (Art Museum of Estonia)
A View from the Southern Coast of the Gulf of Finland. The Significance of Tallinn in the Commission, Distribution and Production of Art in the Medieval and Early Modern Baltic Sea Region

11.30–12.00
Dr. Jan Friedrich Richter (Staatliche Museen zu Berlin)
Tallinn as an Art Center in the Early 16th Century. Historical Preconditions

12.00–12.30
Dr. Anu Mänd (Tallinn University)
Estonian-Finnish Art Connections in the Middle Ages

12.30–13.30 Lunch

Chair: Greta Koppel
13.30–14.00
Lars Nylander, Doctoral researcher (Hälsingland Museum, University of Gothenburg)
Michel Sittow and Haaken Gulleson in Dialogue. Late Medieval Sculptures from Local Workshops and Imported Altarpieces in the North of Sweden

14.00–14.30
Katri Vuola, Doctoral researcher (University of Helsinki)
From Alder to Lime Wood. Reflections on Wood Use Culture on Both Sides of the Gulf of Finland in the 14th and 15th centuries

14.30–15.00
Asst. Prof. Panu Savolainen (Aalto University)
The Mobility of Builders and Architectural Innovations between Tallinn and Southern Finland in 15th Century

15.00–15.30 Coffee break

Chair: Merike Kurisoo
15.30–16.00
Dr. Tuuli Heinonen (University of Helsinki)
Contacts across the Sea. Medieval and Early Modern Peasant Trade between Uusimaa and Tallinn

16.00–16.30
Saila Leskinen, Doctoral researcher (University of Helsinki)
The Case of the Siuntio Sculptures. Attribution and Origin

16.30–17.30 Panel discussion
Moderator: Doc. Dr. Elina Räsänen (University of Helsinki)
Speakers: Prof. Krista Kodres (Estonian Academy of Arts), Dr. Greta Koppel (Art Museum of Estonia), Assoc. Prof. Anu Lahtinen (University of Helsinki)

Panel discussion, from left: Elina Räsänen, Anu Lahtinen, Krista Kodres, Greta Koppel. Photo: Stanislav Stepaško, Sirp, Eesti kultuurileht.

17.30 Reception and refreshments

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Event page by Eesti Kunstimuuseum / the Art museum of Estonia

Event page by Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura / the Finnish Literature Society

Facebook event by Niguliste Muuseum

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Photos of the post-seminar church excursion to the Espoo, Lohja and Siuntio churches:

Tukijat / Supporters:
Nordisk kulturfond
Koneen säätiö / Kone Foundation
Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura / Finnish Literature Society