Jørgen Ringnis, also known as "Jørgen Billedsnider", (birth unknown, died 1652 in

Nakskov Nakskov is a town in south Denmark. It is situated in Lolland municipality in Region Sjælland on the western coast of the island of Lolland. The town has a population of 12,495 (1 January 2022). To the west is Nakskov Fjord, an inlet from the La ...

) was a Danish

woodcarver Wood carving is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation ...

. He created a number of

altarpiece An altarpiece is an artwork such as a painting, sculpture or relief representing a religious subject made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting ...

s and

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...

s in Danish churches, especially on the islands of

Lolland Lolland (; formerly spelled ''Laaland'', literally "low land") is the fourth largest island of Denmark, with an area of . Located in the Baltic Sea, it is part of Region Sjælland (Region Zealand). As of 1 January 2022, it has 57,618 inhabitan ...

and

Falster Falster () is an island in south-eastern Denmark with an area of and 43,398 inhabitants as of 1 January 2010.

.Eva de la Fuente Pedersen, "Jørgen Ringnis"
''Kunstindeks Danmark & Weilbachs Kunstnerleksikon''. Retrieved 28 November 2012.

Background

From the 1550s to the 1650s, master craftsmen from northern Germany as well as the then Danish provinces of

Schleswig The Duchy of Schleswig ( da, Hertugdømmet Slesvig; german: Herzogtum Schleswig; nds, Hartogdom Sleswig; frr, Härtochduum Slaswik) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km ...

and

Holstein Holstein (; nds, label= Northern Low Saxon, Holsteen; da, Holsten; Latin and historical en, Holsatia, italic=yes) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germ ...

were invited to eastern Denmark to decorate churches and castles. By the mid-17th century, the region had experienced a period of unexcelled richness in artistic carving in the Baroque style. Major participants included Lorentz Jørgensen in

Holbæk Holbæk () is a town in Denmark and the County seat, seat of Holbæk municipality with a population of 29,608 (1 January 2022).Abel Schrøder Abel Schrøder, also Abel Schrøder the Younger, (c. 1602–1676) was a Danish woodcarver with a workshop in Næstved, then the centre for woodcarving in Southern Zealand. He is remembered for his many auricular altarpieces and pulpits depictin ...

Næstved Næstved () is a town in the municipality of the same name, located in the southern part of the island of Zealand in Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map ...

Hans Holst Hans Holst (born before 1619, died after 1640) was a Denmark, Danish woodcarver associated with Køge where he designed the pews (in association with his brother Jochum) and the pulpit in St Nicholas Church, Køge, St Nicholas Church. Background ...

Køge Køge (, older spelling ''Kjøge'') is a seaport on the coast of Køge Bugt (''Bay of Køge'') 39 km southwest of Copenhagen. It is the principal town and seat of Køge Municipality, Region Sjælland, Denmark. In 2022, the urban area had ...

, Claus Gabriel in

Hillerød Hillerød () is a Danish town with a population of 35,357 (1 January 2022)Casper Lubekke in

Roskilde Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 51,916 (), the city is a business and educational centre for the region and the 10th largest city in Denmark. It is governed by the administrative ...

and Jørgen Ringnis himself.

Biography

In style and presentation, Ringnis' works resemble those of the Flensburg master,

Heinrich Ringerinck Heinrich may refer to: People * Heinrich (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Heinrich (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Hetty (given name), a given name (including a list of p ...

, who is therefore considered to have been his tutor. Furthermore, in one of his contracts he gave his name as Rincknis, indicating he may have originated from Rinkenæs on

Flensburg Firth Flensburg Firth or Flensborg Fjord (german: Flensburger Förde; da, Flensborg Fjord) is the westernmost inlet of the Baltic Sea. It forms part of the border between Germany to the south and Denmark to the north, on the eastern side of Schleswig-H ...

. The earliest work bearing his signature is the pulpit (1630) in

Nakskov Church Nakskov Church ( da, Sankt Nikolai Kirke) is the largest church in Nakskov on the west coast of the Danish island of Lolland. As Nakskov was mentioned in Valdemar's Census Book in the 13th century, the church probably dates to the same period. Hi ...

where he also created the organ gallery. Like the pulpits in Nykøbing (1640) and

Stubbekøbing Stubbekøbing () is a town with a population of 2,268 (1 January 2022) ...

(1634), it was paid for by local merchants and their families."Stubbekøbing kirke"
Nordens kirker. Retrieved 28 November 2012. His bills show that in 1631 he was living in

Maribo Maribo is a town in Lolland Municipality in Region Sjælland on the island of Lolland in south Denmark. It was the municipal seat of the former Maribo Municipality, until 1 January 2007, and then it became the seat of the current Lolland Mun ...

while in 1637 and 1640 he was in Nakskov. His work comprises 23 pulpits and eight altarpieces which, apart from his pulpits in

Oksbøl Oksbøl is a town in southwestern Jutland in the Varde Municipality, in Region of Southern Denmark The Region of Southern Denmark ( da, Region Syddanmark, ; german: Region Süddänemark, ; frr, Regiuun Syddanmark) is an administrative region ...

and

Nordborg Nordborg (german: Norburg), is a town with a population of 5,709 (1 January 2022),Als Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most comm ...

, are all to be found on Lolland or, in particular, on Falster. He often created an altarpiece and a pulpit for the same church.

Style

Ringnis work can be recognized by his elaborate auricular style in a

high Renaissance In art history, the High Renaissance was a short period of the most exceptional artistic production in the Italian states, particularly Rome, capital of the Papal States, and in Florence, during the Italian Renaissance. Most art historians stat ...

framework. His older pulpits have reliefs with scenes from the

Old Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England * Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, M ...

and

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...

s, similar to those of Ringerinck, but starting with the Kippinge pulpit (1631), they are replaced by the figures of the

Evangelists Evangelists may refer to: * Evangelists (Christianity), Christians who specialize in evangelism * Four Evangelists, the authors of the four Gospel accounts in the New Testament * ''The Evangelists'', a controversial play See also * Evangelist ( ...

. The quality and nature of Ringnis' work remained constant throughout his practice over a period of some 30 years. His pupils continued to emulate his style creating works in the churches of Falster, southern Zealand and

Møn Møn () is an island in south-eastern Denmark. Until 1 January 2007, it was a municipality in its own right but it is now part of the municipality of Vordingborg, after merging with the former municipalities of Langebæk, Præstø, and Vordin ...

Gallery

File:Sankt Nikolai Nakskov prædikestol.jpg, Nakskov pulpit (1630) File:Nordenskirker Stubbekobing34.jpg, Stubbekøbing pulpit (1634) File:Torkilstrup Kirke 2012-08-14 alter.JPG, Torkilstrup altarpiece (1650) File:Nørre Alslev kirke - Kanzel 1.jpg, Nørre Alslev pulpit (1643)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ringnis, Jorgen Danish woodcarvers Year of birth unknown 1652 deaths 17th-century Danish woodworkers 17th-century Danish sculptors People from Nakskov