Christ as Gardener: the plants in the altarpiece by Wit Stwosz

The magnificent main altar of St. Mary’s Church (Mariacki) in Kraków’s Main Square in Old Town is decorated with a magnificent altarpiece by sculptor Wit Stwosz (Veit Stoss). Considered to be among the greatest of late Gothic European masterpieces it is, undeniably, the most beautiful religious artifact in Kraków, if not Poland. 

The altarpiece, like the church itself, is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.  It has movable wings that open, revealing the center panel of the Dormition (the heavenly “falling asleep”) of Mary and six scenes from her life ranging from the Annunciation to Pentecost on the wings.

Witnessing the opening of this superb altarpiece, complete with fanfare, is one of the must-see experiences when visiting Kraków. 

←The altarpiece when open. Wikipedia photo.

Having said that, no less exquisite is the altarpiece when it is closed, depicting 12 scenes from the lives of both Mary and Jesus. Apart from the religious message, the artists and sculptors of the time beautifully depicted the clothes of the 15th century period, which must be of great interest to costume designers, but they also the depicted local flora of the period which is of equal interest to those of us interested in plants. The scene containing the greatest number of  plants is located at the bottom right of the closed altar and titled Christ the Gardener, in Polish, Chrystus jako Ogrodnik.

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The altarpiece when closed                                           Bottom right: Location of Christ as Gardener

Close up of the panel depicting Jesus and Mary Magdalene

     The scene comes to us from the Gospel of John (20:11-18) the only one of the four evangelists who places the death and resurrection of Christ in a garden. We read that Mary Magdalene was the first to visit the tomb, saw that it was empty, ran for the apostles, was confused and weeping outside the tomb, turned and saw Jesus but thought he was a gardener. (Apologies to St. John for this abbreviated/Cliff Notes version).   Painted into a walled garden is a kneeling Mary Magdelene and Jesus holding a shovel set against a green floral background.

     In the years 1932 and 1934, during one of the many restorations of the altarpiece over the centuries, Polish ethnobotanist Władysław Szafer from Jagellonian University was able to get a close look at the panel. Under the layers of removed dirt was a wonderful array of clearly visible plant motifs.  He noted that all the plants were common, easily identifiable ones found in meadows and wasteland throughout Europe as well as in and around Kraków. Because they were painted in their natural size (and sometimes enlarged) he also concluded that the artists must have used/studied live plants as models for their work. What a find!  

     Looking at the panel we’ll start in the upper middle towards the back wall:
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In the center with flowers: Listera ovata – common twayblade-  storczyk, in Polish 

To the right of twayblade:
Cirsium heterophyllum - melancholy thistle-ostrożen dwubarwny 

To the left of twayblade:
Cirsium lanceolatum synonymous with Cirsium vulgare bull thistle - ostrożeń wąskolistny 

Leaves near Christ's hand and top of shovel: Primula - primrose -​ pierwiosnek

Sticking up from the bottom of the frame: leaves of Potentilla argentea - silver cinquefoil - srebnika

Bottom right: Trifolium repens clover -koniczyna

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At the bottom near the spade:

​Lilium martagon- turk's cap lily  before flowering - ​złotogłów

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To the left of the panel:

Below Christ's heel is a stylized version of Asarum europaeum- wild ginger-kopytnik

To the left of the ginger, a stylized version of Plantago major -plantain - babka,

To the left of that in the corner  another example of thistle and above that  on the edge of the panel, with yellow flowers is  Chelidonium majus -Greater celadine -  jaskółcze ziele

Above that against the wood wall  is a species of fern either Asplenium virde green spleenwort or the very similar Asplenium trichomanes maidenhair spleenwort -zanokcica zielona 
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On the right side of the panel with Mary Magdalene we see many of the same plants repeated but some new ones as well.
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​There are the leaves of Taraxacum officinale -dandelion-
mniszek

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​Behind her, shown in its flowering state is Convallaria majalis or lily-of-the valley, called konwalia in Polish. It's most likely there was an associated symbolism as Mary was often described as “the violet of humility,  the lily of chastity" and connected to many other flowers besides lily-of -the-valley.

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      The theme of Christ as a gardener is not limited to the artists of Poland. There are so many beautiful images by artists of different countries who have channeled their gifts and interpreted the gospel in their own particular way. They  all warrant viewing, admiration and close study. But I’m of the mind with historian, writer, and ethnographer Zygmunt Gloger who wrote: “It is good to know foreign things-it is a duty to known your own.” 

      Source: “Polichromja roślinna w ołtarzu Wita Stwosza.” [Plant polychromy in the altar of Wit Stwosz]
Władysław Szafer. Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae.[ Polish Botanical Society] 1934

For more about the plants of Poland: Polish Herbs, Flowers and Folk Medicine. Hippocrene Books. 2020