When you look at these objects, which were made 500 years ago, you cannot help but ask: How could anyone create this?
Sometime in the fifteenth century, artisans working in the Low Countries began to create a new type of art. They are called prayer nuts and at first glance, they appear to be very small pieces of wood, just 10 to 15 cm in diameter. But then you can open them up, and that’s when the real amazement starts, for inside are entire scenes depicting people and objects, all microsized. Look very, very carefully and you might see that one person has buttons on his shirt, spot the individual feathers on an angel’s wing, or notice that the little birdcage has several doves inside.
As art historians began noticing these creations and studying them, various museums acquired them – today we know of about 150 of these items, although every few years another one of them shows up in an auction. We call them Gothic boxwood miniatures and they include not only the round prayer nuts but other objects like an altarpiece, a coffin, or a skull. It seems that they were made to be part of a rosary, to hang from a belt, or just as something to show and impress others.
Prayer nut case with tracery, attributed to Adam Dircksz, c. 1500–30. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam – Wikimedia Commons
All the images on the inside would be very familiar to Christians, and one can find many scenes from the New and Old Testaments. Jesus’ crucifixion was a popular depiction, as was the story of the Virgin Mary.
The first question is who made them, and our first clue is that in nearly all the cases we know, their first owner came from The Netherlands. As the Middle Ages were coming to an end, this region was doing quite well economically, and its wealthy people were spending a lot of money on art.
Half of a Prayer Bead with the Lamentation, early 16th century – Photo courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Our second clue is found on just one prayer nut that is currently in a museum in Copenhagen. Inscribed on it in Latin are the words: “Adam Theodrici me fecit”, which has been translated as ‘Adam Dircksz has made me’. At first, historians believed that this Adam Dircksz made all of these objects, but now he is credited with making close to 50 of them. The theory now is that Adam was part of a workshop somewhere in the Netherlands that specialized in making these miniatures, and there may have been one or two other workshops that also built these items.
Miniature Coffin – Photo courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The next question is how they were built. All of these items were made using boxwood, a type of tree common to Western Europe. The wood of boxwood is known to be very hard and heavy, ideal for engraving. Adam and the other creators would have started with a small block of this wood, carved it into a sphere, then hollowed it out. After this, they would start building the scene inside by creating very thin strips that would show part of the display.
Miniature Altarpiece with the Crucifixion – Photo courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Creating each figure or object out of this wood required specialized miniaturized chisels, saws, and other tools. They would also need special eyewear that magnified what they were looking at – this would be similar to what a jeweler might use. Afterwards, each piece would be placed into the hollow sphere – they would be glued in or bound with little pegs. This was very meticulous work, and scholars suggest that some pieces might have taken decades to complete.
The Gothic boxwood miniatures were an artwork that did not last long – no one was making them after the sixteenth century. Being extremely fragile creations, it is surprising that dozens of them have survived to today. But the ones that remain are a testament to the creativity and ingenuity of artisans who lived 500 years ago.
What can you see?
Prayer Bead with the Adoration of the Magi and the Crucifixion – Photo courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The prayer nut above is thought to be made by Adam Dircksz, or at least his workshop. When closed, the object is no larger than six centimetres in diameter. When it is completely opened up, you can see several Biblical scenes. The upper part is laid out like a triptych and shows several scenes related to the birth and early childhood of Jesus, with the central scene showing the Adoration of the Magi. Among the details one can find are eight horses and one camel, a person opening a chest, and a candle sitting on a window sill. If you close the wings of the upper half, you can see another scene showing Adam and Eve.
The bottom half of the nut depicts the Crucifixion of Jesus. You can also see six more people riding horses, two men fighting with daggers, another man pushing a wheelbarrow, and in the background, a cityscape, presumably depicting Jerusalem. There are also four different inscriptions in various parts of the nut, each offering a line from the Bible. Overall, there are about 60 people depicted in this piece of art. This prayer nut is now part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
This article was first published in Medieval World, Issue 8. You can get new issues of Medieval World through our Patreon.
By Peter Konieczny
When you look at these objects, which were made 500 years ago, you cannot help but ask: How could anyone create this?
Sometime in the fifteenth century, artisans working in the Low Countries began to create a new type of art. They are called prayer nuts and at first glance, they appear to be very small pieces of wood, just 10 to 15 cm in diameter. But then you can open them up, and that’s when the real amazement starts, for inside are entire scenes depicting people and objects, all microsized. Look very, very carefully and you might see that one person has buttons on his shirt, spot the individual feathers on an angel’s wing, or notice that the little birdcage has several doves inside.
As art historians began noticing these creations and studying them, various museums acquired them – today we know of about 150 of these items, although every few years another one of them shows up in an auction. We call them Gothic boxwood miniatures and they include not only the round prayer nuts but other objects like an altarpiece, a coffin, or a skull. It seems that they were made to be part of a rosary, to hang from a belt, or just as something to show and impress others.
All the images on the inside would be very familiar to Christians, and one can find many scenes from the New and Old Testaments. Jesus’ crucifixion was a popular depiction, as was the story of the Virgin Mary.
The first question is who made them, and our first clue is that in nearly all the cases we know, their first owner came from The Netherlands. As the Middle Ages were coming to an end, this region was doing quite well economically, and its wealthy people were spending a lot of money on art.
Our second clue is found on just one prayer nut that is currently in a museum in Copenhagen. Inscribed on it in Latin are the words: “Adam Theodrici me fecit”, which has been translated as ‘Adam Dircksz has made me’. At first, historians believed that this Adam Dircksz made all of these objects, but now he is credited with making close to 50 of them. The theory now is that Adam was part of a workshop somewhere in the Netherlands that specialized in making these miniatures, and there may have been one or two other workshops that also built these items.
The next question is how they were built. All of these items were made using boxwood, a type of tree common to Western Europe. The wood of boxwood is known to be very hard and heavy, ideal for engraving. Adam and the other creators would have started with a small block of this wood, carved it into a sphere, then hollowed it out. After this, they would start building the scene inside by creating very thin strips that would show part of the display.
Creating each figure or object out of this wood required specialized miniaturized chisels, saws, and other tools. They would also need special eyewear that magnified what they were looking at – this would be similar to what a jeweler might use. Afterwards, each piece would be placed into the hollow sphere – they would be glued in or bound with little pegs. This was very meticulous work, and scholars suggest that some pieces might have taken decades to complete.
The Gothic boxwood miniatures were an artwork that did not last long – no one was making them after the sixteenth century. Being extremely fragile creations, it is surprising that dozens of them have survived to today. But the ones that remain are a testament to the creativity and ingenuity of artisans who lived 500 years ago.
What can you see?
The prayer nut above is thought to be made by Adam Dircksz, or at least his workshop. When closed, the object is no larger than six centimetres in diameter. When it is completely opened up, you can see several Biblical scenes. The upper part is laid out like a triptych and shows several scenes related to the birth and early childhood of Jesus, with the central scene showing the Adoration of the Magi. Among the details one can find are eight horses and one camel, a person opening a chest, and a candle sitting on a window sill. If you close the wings of the upper half, you can see another scene showing Adam and Eve.
The bottom half of the nut depicts the Crucifixion of Jesus. You can also see six more people riding horses, two men fighting with daggers, another man pushing a wheelbarrow, and in the background, a cityscape, presumably depicting Jerusalem. There are also four different inscriptions in various parts of the nut, each offering a line from the Bible. Overall, there are about 60 people depicted in this piece of art. This prayer nut is now part of the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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