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Albertus Pictor – a Medieval Master Painter and His Pigments

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Albertus Pictor – a Medieval Master Painter and His Pigments •• JOURNAL OF SWEDISH ANTIQUARIAN RESEARCH 2018:2 Art. Nord 89-102_Layout 1 2018-05-22 11:28 Sida 89 Albertus Pictor – a Medieval master painter and his pigments By Anders G. Nord, Kate Tronner, Misa Asp and Elin Lundmark Nord, A.G., Tronner, K., Asp, M. & Lundmark, E., 2018. Albertus Pictor – a Medieval master painter and his pigments. Fornvännen 113. Stockholm. The German-born artist Albertus Pictor (†1509) was responsible for the decora- tion of the walls and vaults of about 35 Swedish churches. In terms of the brilliant technique and the overwhelming production volume, his workshop was outstand- ing in Medieval Sweden. This study analyses a total of 291 samples of pigments from nine churches containing murals attributed to the workshop. Some of the results have already been published, but here they are integrated with new data. Isotope measurements of 13 lead pigments have been made. A tenth church with a questionable attribution, Öja on Gotland, has also been investigated with nine samples. One purpose of this study is to find out which pigments Albertus’ workshop preferred. Another aim is to show how chemical data can complement art histori- ans’ judgments concerning the master of a mural. Furthermore, the origins of the pigments are discussed. Our results indicate that Albertus Pictor used a rather lim- ited number of pigments, and that he preferred pigments from his native country, Germany. Anders G. Nord, Kevingeringen 10, SE–182 50 Danderyd [email protected] Kate Tronner, Flädergränd 2, SE–187 73 Täby [email protected] Misa Asp, Konservator Misa Asp AB, Sjöbjörnsvägen 1, SE–117 67 Stockholm [email protected] Elin Lundmark, Tottvägen 1B, SE–169 54 Solna [email protected] Albertus Pictor (“Albrecht the Painter”) was born cate that he was a prominent embroiderer (Gei- around 1440 in Immenhausen near Kassel in cen- jer 1949). tral Germany. As a young man, he emigrated to In some of the churches there are more or less Sweden to work as a church painter. In 1473 he readable signatures by Albertus Pictor, while in settled in Stockholm, where he married the widow others the iconography, the technique and the out- of Johan målare (“John the Painter”) and took standing workmanship justify an attribution to over the family workshop. Albertus then directed the workshop. The life and work of Albertus Pic- its work until his death in 1509. He was highly tor have been described and discussed by many successful in his profession, often working for authors (e.g. Cornell & Wallin 1933; Nisbeth 1986; patrons of high standing, and was responsible for Svanberg 1992; Hall et al. 2003; Melin 2006, 2009; the decoration of about 35 churches, mainly in Sandquist Öberg 2009). In some churches, all the the Lake Mälaren area. Written sources also indi- vaults and walls are still completely covered by Fornvännen 113 (2018) Art. Nord 89-102_Layout 1 2018-05-22 11:28 Sida 90 90 Anders G. Nord et al. Fig. 1. Various motifs with the Virgin and Child in the centre. Vault mural in Härkeberga Church, Uppland. Photo Gabriel Hildebrand, National Heritage Board. well-preserved paintings, sometimes accompa- many paintings, and some pigments and colour- nied by brief inscriptions in Latin (cf. fig. 1), while ants have degraded. others have suffered from unprofessional resto- rations. The churches in the study Many of the Biblical motifs have been copied The churches of Täby, Härkeberga, and Härnevi from the Biblia pauperum or from prints, and often in Uppland are especially famous because their modified (e.g. Sandquist Öberg 2013). The char- vaults and walls are filled with often well-pre- acters and objects depicted illustrate the lifestyle served high-quality paintings. We have collected of the late 15th century: clothes, shoes, hats, cattle, pigments from these churches on twelve separate tools, musical instruments, weapons, games, and occasions. Another Uppland church (Ed) is in- so forth (cf. Melin 2006). The margins between cluded in the study, along with two churches in the religious scenes often contain ornaments and Södermanland (Floda and Vadsbro), and two in folkloristic motifs such as a hobgoblin, a porcu- Västmanland (Kumla and Sala). The paintings on pine or a fantasy bird with an enormous beak. In the vaults of Kumla Church are of a high quality Härnevi Church there is also a fat sow playing the and in a good state of preservation. By contrast, organ. This may be a manifestation of Medieval the paintings on the walls were covered with lime anti-Semitism, also expressed in other paintings of wash in the 18th century. This was done at that men with a hook-nose, a Jewish hat etc. (Bengts- time in many Medieval churches in Sweden and son 2016). Denmark. Many of these paintings were later The quality of the paintings is indeed impres- uncovered, usually causing loss of material. For this sive – the craftsmen have often created three- reason, the paintings were sometimes retouched. dimensional effects. Each person’s face is usually This was not always done in a professional way, beautifully modelled with highlights, shadows and the analyses often indicate presence of mod- and minute details (fig. 2). Naturally, soot from ern pigments such as chromium oxide and bari- candles and other kinds of dirt have darkened um sulphate. Finally, the churches in Nederluleå Fornvännen 113 (2018) Art. Nord 89-102_Layout 1 2018-05-22 11:28 Sida 91 Albertus Pictor 91 Fig. 2. Moses producing water from a rock in the desert with his staff. Mural in Täby Church, Uppland. Photo Bengt A. Lundberg, National Heritage Board. (Norrbotten) and Öja (Gotland) have been in- taken under the supervision of Åke Nisbeth or vestigated. Nederluleå Church is near the Arctic Lennart Karlsson. Circle in the Gammelstaden World Heritage area. Regarding the other churches, the sampling The paintings executed here by Albertus Pictor’s was partly focused on paintings in need of con- workshop have been lime-washed and subsequent- servation. In all of these, the dominating colours ly uncovered. Fortunately, we managed to find were red, green, blue and yellow. In Härnevi, parts of the original paintings. Öja Church is in most pigment samples were taken from the scene the southern part of the island of Gotland in the showing The Annunciation, and in Kumla from Baltic Sea. Its murals are of varying quality, some The Death of Mary. In Nederluleå, samples were of them good but often fragmentary. It has been collected from the pictures of St. Matthew and St. debated whether the paintings in Öja’s chancel Augustine, The Coronation of Mary, and some were decorated by Albertus Pictor and/or his foliage and decorations. In Ed all samples were workshop. This question of attribution is dis- taken from the scene in which Jesus expels the cussed at the end of this paper. merchants from the temple. At Floda the selected motifs were The Birth of Christ and Moses with The samples the Burning Bush, and at Vadsbro the painting of When collecting samples from the churches of St. Bridget of Sweden. Only a few samples were Täby and Härkeberga, we tried to obtain pig- collected at Sala Old Church, and those from Öja ment samples of all possible colours and nuances. are listed in a subsequent section. A summary of These paintings have never been covered with all samples of pigments from all churches, in total lime. In 1993 Lars Göthberg conserved the Täby 300, is given in tab. 1. paintings, and from the scaffolds it was possible to reach almost all murals (Nord et al. 1996). In Analytical methods and results Härkeberga it was not possible to obtain samples We did most of our sampling by scraping off small from the vaults. The careful sampling was under- amounts of paint from the surface. This told us Fornvännen 113 (2018) Art. Nord 89-102_Layout 1 2018-05-22 11:28 Sida 92 92 Anders G. Nord et al. Tab. 1. Summary of investigated material from the Church Date No of samples Refs ten churches. References: a) Nord et al. 1996, b) Nord analysed & Tronner 2010, c) Present work, d) Tronner & Up, Ed 1487 20 d Nord 2002, e) Tronner & Nord 2003a, f) Tronner & Up, Härkeberga 1480s 78 a, b Nord 2003b, g) Nord et al. 2017a. Up, Härnevi 1480s 24 a, c Up, Täby 1480s 60 a, b Sö, Floda 1480s 21 e Sö, Vadsbro 1480s 18 f Vs, Kumla 1482 45 c Vs, Sala 1460s 10 c Nb, Nederluleå 1492– 15 g Go, Öja c. 1500 9c Total 300 which pigments are present on each spot but not other churches, with fewer collected samples, only whether they were originally mixed or applied in two columns are used. This classification may layers. Some samples are cross sections where the seem coarse, but nevertheless gives some indica- stratigraphy of the painting can be analyses. All tion of which pigments were routinely used and collected samples were analysed by SEM/EDX which occurred more seldom. (JEOL JSM-840A, LEO 1445VP, Hitachi S-4300 Quite often traces of modern “improvements” or JEOL JSM-7000F), equipped with a LINK/ were encountered, such as chromium oxide (Cr2 Oxford unit for X-ray microanalysis. With the O3), barium sulfate (BaSO4) and titanium diox- backscatter detector and a magnification around ide (TiO2). These were particularly common in 100X–500X, about 10–20 small pigment grains the paintings at Ed, Floda and Vadsbro, whose from each sample were qualitatively and quanti- murals obviously suffer from hard-handed re- tatively examined by point analysis. In doubtful storations. In Ed we even found cobalt blue cases, and if the sample was large enough, X-ray (CoAl2O4).
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