Altar plastic monuments of Belarus of the 17th century: iconography and attribution (Bud- s lav and Porplische)

This article examines seventeenth-century altar woodcarving, focusing on the Budslav high altar and a group of altar-kiots from the Church of the Transfiguration in the village of Porplishche. Drawing on archival sources, monastic chronicles, visitation records, and comparative art-historical analysis, it addresses questions of authorship, dating, and provenance of the altar-kiots dedicated to St Anne, the Holy Trinity, and the Virgin Hodegetria preserved in Porplishche.

Special attention is given to identifying stylistic and morphological parallels between the decorative carving of the Porplishche monuments and the Budslav altar, completed in 1649. The study demonstrates that the group of altar-kiots and their associated carved elements was produced in the mid-seventeenth century and can most plausibly be attributed to the master Peter Gramel, the creator of the Budslav altar. Archival evidence supports the hypothesis that parts of these altars were transferred from Budslav to Porplishche in 1787, following the construction of a new church.

The article also reconstructs the formation of the Porplishche church interior and clarifies the chronology of its sacred furnishings. The findings refine current understanding of the dissemination of early Baroque and Mannerist artistic forms in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, as well as the interplay between Catholic and Uniate artistic traditions.

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