'After the Black Death' (ABD) centres on c. 65 examples of late-medieval church art (folding altarpieces, shrines, sculptures and crucifixes) owned by the Museum of Cultural History (KHM) University of Oslo (UiO). The majority is thought to have been imported to Norway from northern Germany and the Low Countries after 1350, and possibly as late as the 1550s – between the first wave of Bubonic Plague and the early years of the Reformation.
The collection was last studied systematically in the 1930s. In the intervening 75+ years, scientists have developed innovative methods for characterising paint, gilding and the wood used for carving and frames. Such material data will allow project investigators to build on art-historical attributions, and to provide a context for these currently de-contextualised works of art. This research will facilitate a far more complete understanding of profoundly altered objects than has been possible before.
Visualising the original and interim appearances of altarpieces and sculptures creates intellectual access to earlier perceptions of objects that were once central to late-medieval church culture across this country. However, understanding appearances/functions over time is only the first step. The process of examination and interpretation aims to inform far larger debates, especially those that address foreign influences on Norwegian cultural landscapes. Foreign origins and Catholic associations have conditioned negative ideas about so-called Hanseatic art and Norway's decline after 1350. Moreover, objects of this kind continue to sit outside of Norwegian national narratives. The project therefore aims to unravel and unveil the positive aspects of cultural exchanges during 'Dansketiden'.
The project is led by Tine Frøysaker and Noëlle Streeton, in collaboration with an international network. The research agenda has been designed to cultivate new understandings of conservation research and its contemporary implications. Outcomes include publications, exhibitions and a database, to make this little-known resource broadly accessible.
The project is supported by the Norwegian Research Council, 2014-2017.
