Long-Lost Relations and New-Found Distinctions: Redefining Lübeck Attributions for Three Fragments

What is it about?

The authors, who are conservators and heritage scientists, set out to determine how three fragmentary religious objects from Norwegian churches relate to each other. These include a shrine from Bygland church (Agder county), painted wings from Røldal stave church (Vestland county) and an altarpiece from the medieval church at Skjervøy (Troms county). This chapter clarifies and problematizes similarities and earlier attributions via physical and chemical data. The data suggest chiefly that multiple painters, who had access to common patterns, were responsible for the wing-panels, while separate box-makers produced the corpus boxes and other elements, including sculptures. The data and structural features point to a variety of craftspeople, working over a long period, probably well beyond the bounds of Lübeck.

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Photo by Wolfgang Weiser on Unsplash

Photo by Wolfgang Weiser on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This research suggests strongly that groups of north-German craftspeople met the needs of a Norwegian market that was not bound to north-German regulations or patrons.