DIRCKSZ, Adam
(b. ~1460 ?, d. ~1520 Vlaanderen)
Adam Dircksz. (or Dirksz.) was a Flemish goldsmith and woodcarver, active in Flanders. He ran an active workshop.
Prayer-nut
At the end of the middle ages, artists produced a variety of small-scale devotional artefacts in the form of small, often portable objects that would assist in prayer and meditation. These objects included among others rosary beads and prayer-nuts.
The picture shows a prayer-nut which opens to display two minuscule Passion reliefs: the Carrying the Cross and the Crucifixion. The reliefs were made from separate pieces of wood which were then fixed onside the hollow hemispheres of the nut with tiny nails.
Triptych with the Passion of Christ
This miniature altar was made for private devotion.