Author: hmikk

2 Head of a Figure from Urnes

This head of a tonsured figure, which has also been called ‘monk’s head’ (‘munkehodet’), is one of the few wooden sculptures from the late twelfth century preserved in Norway. In terms of style, the head can be compared to the angel from an Entombment group now in the Bode-Museum in Berlin (inv. no. 2969), which…Continue reading 2 Head of a Figure from Urnes

3 Marian shrine from Urnes

This enthroned Virgin is one of the earliest preserved Marian sculptures in Norway and can be dated to the second half of the twelfth century. Mary sits frontally on a folding throne decorated with animal heads and addresses the onlooker with a poignant gaze. Her skin is whitish, her cheeks are reddish, and her eyes…Continue reading 3 Marian shrine from Urnes

5 Calvary Group from Giske

On the island of Giske, north of Ålesund, stands a well-built twelfth-century church of white marble that was founded by a prominent nobleman. From this church stems a three-figure Romanesque Calvary group that, despite its battered state, still betrays its remarkable artistic quality. The original polychromy, the cross and arms of the Christ figure, as…Continue reading 5 Calvary Group from Giske

6 Baptismal Font from Os

This thirteenth-century font from Os has a remarkable shape and a rich iconography. The circular basin with a profiled rim is surrounded by four supporting corner figures that create a transition to the square base. The rather coarsely carved figures represent two bearded men, a bishop with a mitre and crozier and a woman with…Continue reading 6 Baptismal Font from Os

7 Crucifix from Fresvik

This high-quality sculpture, which has lost its cross, shows Christ crucified. His body is slightly bent, his crowned head somewhat bowed to the right, and his eyes closed. The figure wears a long loin cloth with a fold at the top that shows the red inner lining. One foot is placed over the other and…Continue reading 7 Crucifix from Fresvik

8 Relic Shrine from Filefjell

  This relic shrine is built from oak and covered with bas-reliefs of gilded copper. The shrine stems from the stave church, abandoned in 1808, of St Thomas – probably St Thomas Becket – on the Filefjell, located on a plateau along an important road between eastern and western Norway. The shrine has the form…Continue reading 8 Relic Shrine from Filefjell

9 Marian Shrine from Hove

The so-called ‘Hove Madonna’ is among the most outstanding medieval sculptures in Norway. Mary and Child are both largely covered in gold leaf and the inside of the Virgin’s cloak, painted in blue and white, imitates vair (squirrel fur) or ermine. The crowned Virgin is seated frontally on a throne with black painted window motives…Continue reading 9 Marian Shrine from Hove

10 Marian shrine from Kyrkjebø

This Virgin of the Sedes Sapientiae (‘Throne of Wisdom’) type is seated frontally on a throne with painted architectural decorations on the sides. Mary wears a golden robe that falls down in thick V-shaped folds and is fastened with a golden belt. Her golden mantle, draped over her right knee, is lined with painted imitation…Continue reading 10 Marian shrine from Kyrkjebø

11 Altar Frontal from Ulvik

Altar frontals served to decorate the front of the altar in medieval churches. Painted wooden frontals were once widespread throughout Europe, but the only surviving concentrations of this object type are now found in Norway and Catalonia. This painted example from the vanished stave church at Ulvik on the Hardangerfjord is one of the oldest…Continue reading 11 Altar Frontal from Ulvik

13 St. Olav from Dale

In this life-sized sculpture, the King, St Olav, is seated on an architecturally shaped throne with corner posts and a cushion on top, painted in ‘dual shading’. He wears a fastened, imitation-golden robe that falls to his ankles, and an opened red mantle lined with imitation fur. He has a young, bearded face and half-long…Continue reading 13 St. Olav from Dale

15 Altar Frontal from Kinsarvik

This altar frontal from Kinsarvik on the Hardangerfjord shows a multi-figured Crucifixion scene in a simultaneous narrative inside a multi-lobed frame in the central section. Christ hangs from the cross in a slightly bent posture. His head bows to the right side and he is looking at his mother Mary. St John the Evangelist stands…Continue reading 15 Altar Frontal from Kinsarvik

16 Five Aquamaniles

Ritual rules prescribed that priests should wash their hands before and after Communion, as a sign of purity and to prevent any crumbs of the consecrated Host from becoming desecrated. To this end, a special vessel was used, called an aquamanile (aqua=water, manus=hand), which usually took the shape of an animal carrying associations with physical…Continue reading 16 Five Aquamaniles

18 Altar Frontal from Nedstryn

This painted panel from Nedstryn was the first altar frontal to enter the Bergen collection, and the subject of the first art historical research paper published by its founder, Wilhem Frimann Koren Christie. It is composed of two wide boards set inside a frame with oval incisions. The entire surface is occupied by eight circles…Continue reading 18 Altar Frontal from Nedstryn

19 Door ring from Fana

  Lions’ heads with a ring in their mouths have decorated the doors of sanctuaries since antiquity. Their symbolism refers to aspects including vigilance and protection from evil powers, and they were sometimes also used for swearing oaths. This expressive lion’s head, with a (damaged) ring, originally decorated the door of the southern nave portal…Continue reading 19 Door ring from Fana

20 Marian Shrine from Brekke

This late Gothic tabernacle shrine from Brekke on the Sognefjord represents a type that was widespread in central and northern Europe during the late Middle Ages. The shrine was probably produced in northern Germany, possibly Lübeck. The figure of the standing Virgin and Child has almost completely preserved its original polychromy. The Virgin has long,…Continue reading 20 Marian Shrine from Brekke

21 Painted Banner from Lavik

This staff with banner, which originates from Lavik on the Sognefjord, entered the collection as early as 1826. The red painted shaft ends in a cross with square ends, whose surface is decorated with black stencilled rosettes. The same motifs recur on the banner, which is attached to a horizontal wooden rod. Its lower half…Continue reading 21 Painted Banner from Lavik

23 Epitaph for Gert Alant

This panel featuring the Adoration of the Magi shows the Virgin Mary in a robe of gold brocade and a blue cloak sitting with the naked Christ child on her lap. A grey-haired king wearing a precious mantle of gold brocade kneels before her presenting a bowl full of golden coins to the child. Behind…Continue reading 23 Epitaph for Gert Alant

24 Winged Altarpiece from Austevoll

This triptych from the medieval church of Austevoll on the island of Sandtorr, south of Bergen, is one of the best-preserved late Gothic altarpieces in Norway. Inside the central shrine are three chapel-like niches with richly traceried walls and intricate openwork baldachins that are filled with fully rounded, richly gilded sculptures. In the centre stands…Continue reading 24 Winged Altarpiece from Austevoll

Tabernacle Shrines

Welcome to the web exhibition «Tabernacle Shrines». Before the Reformation, Norwegian churches were filled with representations of the saints, both sculpted and painted. But how were they located in the church room? Many probably stood inside so-called tabernacle shrines. Most of these are now lost. This route visualizes the results of a research project carried…Continue reading Tabernacle Shrines

1 Virgin and Child from Urnes

  This enthroned Virgin Mary is one of the oldest saints’ sculptures preserved in Norway. Several motifs, such as the parallel folds between the shoes, are reminiscent of northern French sculptures and sculptures from the Rhine and Meuse Valleys, in what are now Germany and Belgium. Nevertheless, it cannot be determined with certainty whether it…Continue reading 1 Virgin and Child from Urnes

2 Shrine Fragments from Urnes

The Madonna from Urnes (see no. 1) was placed in a tabernacle shrine. The preserved parts – a crowning in the shape of a miniature church, and the left wing – enable a reconstruction of the entire shrine. Together with similarly shaped fragments in Italy, the shrine parts from Urnes are among the oldest in…Continue reading 2 Shrine Fragments from Urnes

4 Dossal Altarpiece from Austevoll

Besides shrines that can be closed with wings, there were also wingless, so-called ‘dossal altars’, that cannot be closed. The dossal, i.e., back panel, can nevertheless be understood as a motif that exalts the figure and distinguishes it in the church interior. The dossal altarpiece from Austevoll shows the holy King Olav, medieval Norway’s most…Continue reading 4 Dossal Altarpiece from Austevoll

5 Marian Shrine from Hove

The so-called ‘Hove-Madonna’ is among the most precious medieval sculptures in Norway. Its shapes, carving and polychromy (painted decorations and gilding) are of the highest quality. The Virgin and Child are seated on a throne under a baldachin. Iron hooks on either side of the back panel indicate that the shrine could be closed. According…Continue reading 5 Marian Shrine from Hove

7 Church Model from Kinsarvik

Miniature churches such as these served as crowning elements to tabernacle shrines (see the reconstruction from Urnes, no. 2). In Norway, a total of four church models are preserved, and in Sweden two. The church model from Kinsarvik has a T-shaped ground plan with a projecting central tower. The Bergen collection holds similar church models…Continue reading 7 Church Model from Kinsarvik

9 St Olav from Røldal

The pendant to the Virgin from Røldal stave church was the holy King Olav, who probably occupied a side altar in the nave, where the community gathered for worship. The similar size, style and execution of both sculptures suggest that both were produced in the same workshop. The St Olav figure rests on a socle…Continue reading 9 St Olav from Røldal

10 Tabernacle Shrine from Granvin

All entirely preserved tabernacle shrines in Norway date from the late Middle Ages. Most feature painted representations on the insides of the wings instead of relief figures, as was common in older shrines. Late medieval shrines often carry painted figurations also on the outsides, whereas most older shrines were only painted in one or two…Continue reading 10 Tabernacle Shrine from Granvin

11 Marian Shrine from Brekke

This late Gothic Marian shrine from Brekke is one of the best preserved of its kind in Norway. The sculpture of the Virgin and Child are presented in a chest with scenes from the history of the Virgin birth of Christ, while the exterior features Annunciation, i.e. the meeting between the Archangel Gabriel and the…Continue reading 11 Marian Shrine from Brekke