Pious and Virtuous: Old Gdańsk Residents in the Mirror of Art

The exhibition features sculptures, paintings, and artistic crafts present in Gdańsk from the early 13th to the second half of the 18th century. Particular emphasis is placed on the functions these objects served in the lives of old Gdańsk residents. The exhibition is divided into three zones. The first presents ecclesiastical art, the second – objects related to the public activities of burghers, and the third – items filling the private space of a Gdańsk home.

Also significant is the division into the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The boundary between them is marked by the Reformation – one of the most important phenomena not only in the history of Europe but also in the history of Gdańsk. In the exhibition space, both eras are symbolically separated by a portal from St. Catherine's Church.

Religion played a central role in the lives of medieval communities. Piety manifested itself in various ways. In addition to attending services, it was expressed through fasting, pilgrimages, practicing good deeds, and numerous artistic foundations. Retables (altarpieces), painted or sculpted, placed on the altar, played a special role. It was around the Eucharistic table that the religious life of the community was concentrated. Hence the numerous presence of retables or their fragments in the exhibition.

In early modern, and thus already Protestant, Gdańsk, religion was still very important in social life. However, the forms of piety changed, becoming much simpler than Catholic ones. This was also reflected in the works of art created at that time.