Poul Grinder-Hansen
The National Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen
Abstract
Title: Gestures of Gift Giving in 16th Century Denmark The article deals with body language and gestures in depictions of donors in 16th-century Danish art, especially concerning donations to churches after the Lutheran Reformation in 1536. The transition from the medieval, Catholic Church into a Lutheran Church introduced a new understanding of gift giving in a Christian context. Gift giving is typically a matter of reciprocity, as expressed in the phrase “do ut des” (I give so that you may give). In the Middle Ages lay people who gave gifts to churches/God could expect prayers and liturgical intercession in return. The Lutherans claimed that humans cannot give God anything. The gift relation between God and humans remains one-sided, since God gives and man receives. Did this changed understanding of gift giving lead to a change in the gestures in portrayals of donors in art? The traditional gesture of kneeling and praying in front of a religious scene had since the 15th century been a manifestation of the social status and piety of the donor, while the introvert look of the donor might inspire the beholder to imitation. After the Reformation, Danish donors were typically depicted in the traditional gesture of prayer but with a significant change: they now turned their back on the religious scene and looked out at the beholder. Their gesture indicates that they no longer prayed in order to receive something from God, but to thank him for the worldly gifts and the gift of faith he had bestowed upon them.
