The medieval benches, where councillors and burgomasters once sat, are the oldest pieces of furniture in the Town Hall. In addition to skilful craftsmanship, they are notable for their thematic carvings. While usually the artworks displayed in town halls depicted the allegories of fair government, the bench sides in Tallinn’s Town Hall depict an absolutely different theme, which became popular in Western Europe in the 14th century, and which was quite unusual in Northern Europe.<\/p>\n
The oldest bench, which originates from 1370s, is decorated by one of the favourite scenes of medieval courtly culture – the meeting of Tristan and Isolde under the tree. Opposite, the fight of the Old Testament hero Samson against the lion is depicted.<\/p>\n
On the sides of the second bench, which originates from the 15th century, we can see Samson and Delilah, and below them a beautiful Phyllis riding Aristotle, the most well-known philosopher of the ancient world. The opposite side presents David and Goliath from the Old Testament, and below them the lion and the bear.<\/p>\n
So we can see different characters here, some of them from the Bible (Samson and David), some from ancient history (Aristotle), and others from courtly culture (Tristan). What do those men, who were the strongest, smartest, and bravest of their time, have in common? Those powerful men all lost their strength, senses, and dignity because they could not resist the charms of women. In the German cultural sphere, to which Tallinn belonged in the 13th-19th centuries, this phenomenon is described with the notion Minnesklaven (slaves of love). Those who see these images can decide for themselves whether they see moralistic warnings or medieval satire, or both.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"