Dusting the "Dusk of the Dark Ages" - Art Technological Illumination on Late Medieval Altarpieces in Scandinavia

Late medieval church art (1350-1550) in Scandinavia is often simply categorised as "objects of Hanseatic import". This assumption has proved difficult to refute, due to both the style of these objects - reflecting common pan-European trends - and their lack of associated documentation. Their "rootless" character has led DATILAS' trail of research back to where it all began: the medieval craftsman's workshop. Through technical art history - the interdisciplinary coupling of conservation, historical studies and the natural sciences - the project used the physical objects as the primary sources of information to elucidate the social and cultural conditions surrounding their making, and the interrelationships between commissioners and craftsmen, merchants and guilds, social structures and society. The entire Norwegian corpus and a selection of Scandinavian and German altarpieces was analysed with the purpose of highlighting four specific themes dealing with altarpiece production in Northern Netherlands, Northern Germany and Norway, eventually leading to more conclusive answers about the characteristics of this part of Norwegian cultural heritage. The project raised fundamental questions regarding the attribution of Scandinavian medieval artworks and what inspired their making. It is executed in close cooperation with Hamilton Kerr Institute, University of Cambridge, an internationally renowned centre of excellence within the field of conservation. Dissemination, participation in international research networks, and field work was a focus in the first year of the project. Data was gathered, using art technological tools, from altarpieces in Denmark, Germany, Norway and Sweden. The principal investigator has participated in seminars and workshops, conferences and network meetings at universities and museums across Europe (Cambridge, Lübeck, Oslo, Leeds, Bergen and Leuven). An important milestone in the first year was the workshop New Directions for Technical Art History, organized by DATILAS and hosted by the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. Methodology was a key theme of the gathering, casting a critical light on the field's terminology, as well as increased insight into affiliated fields in the social sciences. As a direct result of the workshop, the database and visualization tool Nodegoat was chosen for DATILAS. DATILAS has found evidence of the production of so-called "hybrid" altarpieces, outputs from the collaboration across geographical borders (Kausland, 2019). Interpreted in light of alterity theory within the social sciences, the examinations have brought insight into migrant craftsmen in diaspora communities. Contrary to being defined by geography, the concept of "Hanseatic art" should be viewed through the evaporation of borders, where migration and fluidity are key elements. The study is a particularly good case for a holistic approach in the search of objects' origins, where examinations of "anonymous" elements, and not only the high arts of painting and sculpture, are pivotal. A focus has been the study of the gilding and polychromy of structural parts of the whole Norwegian material (Kausland, 2020). The case highlights the medieval craftsman's use of sophisticated materials and techniques and proves that the shrine decorations bore important meanings in their own right, containing intrinsic material and aesthetical values. Furthermore, the study found both change and continuity in the specific craftsmanship throughout the late medieval period. Especially changes in the layering and three-dimensional effects have been useful tools in the correction of previously assumed dates of origin of several of the altarpieces. Due to Covid 19 and travel restrictions the project took a complimentary direction in parts of 2020 and 2021, where archival studies became a main approach to elucidate questions on the afterlife of altarpieces in the respective church locations. The theory used, a so-called object biography approach, follows the altarpiece's lives, and questions all the meanings and functions they have had in tact with societal changes. Results were disseminated at conferences and articles: Interestingly, the Reformation and shift to Lutheran Protestantism did not pose any immediate threat to the Catholic objects, despite featuring non-biblical imagery (Kausland 2022). Instead, church renovation and subsequent transferals from ecclesiastic to profane locations became critical factors in decisions to alter their original appearances. Another interesting result was that feelings of kinship, local practices, and slowness of cultural change, might have played an important role in preserving the old, especially in the north where the majority of the intact altarpieces are located (Kausland 2024). Two monographs will be published from the project; one that focuses on cataloguing the Norwegian material, the other on craftsmen workshops and -collaboration in Hanse port towns.

Vertsinstitusjonen Hamilton Kerr Insitute (HKI), Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge, er en internasjonalt anerkjent ‘Centre of Excellence’ innen malerikonservering. Med sitt store bibliotek, konserveringsfasiliteter og ikke minst menneskelige ressurser i verdensklasse, har PI’s faglige kompetanse blitt betraktelig hevet. Oppholdet ved University of Cambridge var spesielt verdifullt for utvikling av overførbare kunnskap. Vertsinstitusjonen har lang erfaring med å ta imot ‘visiting fellows’ og gjennom kontinuerlig støtte, tilgang til seminarer, arrangementer og et sammensatt program for ‘transferable skills’ ble evner som kritisk og analytisk tenkning, problemløsning, administrasjon, og tidsplanlegging betraktelig utviklet. I tillegg til å gagne PI’s egenutvikling var oppholdet også verdifullt for de enkelte ansatte ved HKI og deres tematisk-like prosjekter. Dette kom særlig til syne ved feltturer og gjennom åpne diskusjoner i laboratoriet. En annen betydningsfull virkning hadde et seminar arrangert av PI der kolleger ved NIKU i Norge fikk muligheten til å møte kolleger i Cambridge, samt et utvidet internasjonalt nettverk. Det strategiske valget å invitere kolleger ved NIKU i Norge til å presentere sin forskning for, samtale med og høre på kolleger fra utlandet har hatt positiv og langvarig effekt med tanke på opprettelsen av kontakter, og kontinuerlige tverrfaglige og internasjonale samarbeid. Gjennom Pis foredrag og artikler har kulturarvforskere og ansatte innen kulturminnevern fått en betraktelig bedre forståelse av kunstkonservering og kunstteknologi som disiplin, og hvordan denne kan ha essensiell betydning for hvordan vi ser på vår materielle kulturarv. Brukere innen kulturarvsforvaltningen har fått kunnskap om uerstattelige gjenstander i deres besittelse og vil med dette stå bedre rustet til å se deres ulike verdier, noe som er avgjørende i bevaringsstrategier. I ferdigstillelsen av prosjektet er den første og eneste postdoktor-prosjektet innen kunstkonservering og kunstteknologi avsluttet. Med den unike prosjektleder-erfaringen som mobilitetsstipendet har gitt, så står både PI og det utvidede fagmiljøet i Norge bedre rustet til å lede og bidra videre i tverrvitenskapelige prosjekter: dette vil ikke bare føre disiplinen videre, men vil være en grunnleggende og nødvendig innen bevaring av vårt samfunns materielle arv i en fremtid preget av klimaskifter og ekstremt utsatte kulturarvsmiljøer.

Many intriguing dichotomies surround our knowledge of late medieval church art in Scandinavia, a part of cultural heritage often simply categorised as "objects of Hanseatic import". This assumption has proved difficult to refute, due to both the style of these objects - predominantly altarpieces - reflecting common pan-European trends, and their lack of associated documentation. Their "rootless" character has led DATILAS' trail of research back to where it all began: the medieval craftsman's workshop. Through the burgeoning field of technical art history - the interdisciplinary coupling of conservation, historical studies and the natural sciences - the project will use the physical objects as the primary sources of information to elucidate the social and cultural conditions surrounding their making, and the interrelationships between commissioners and craftsmen, merchants and guilds, social structures and society. To operationalise the research objectives, the entire Norwegian corpus and a selection of Scandinavian and German altarpieces will be analysed within a sophisticated interdisciplinary methodological framework (2.2.2), executed through four work packages (2.2.3). The empirical foundation will be provided by close-hold visual examinations aided by instrumental analyses, to distinguish original layers from overpaint, and to identify incongruencies with established standards. When identified, such idiosyncrasies can serve as the "fingerprint" of a specific craftsman, or hallmark of a geographic region or cultural tradition. The objectives will develop innovative approaches and will help to model conservation strategies by casting light on short and long-term effects of past restoration campaigns. Through a historical socioeconomic lens, the project raises fundamental questions regarding the attribution of Scandinavian medieval artworks, and of the regional and international influences surrounding their production.