From Conservation to Interpretation: Studies of Religious Art (c. 1100-c. 1800) in Northern and Central Europe

Technology and conservation are indispensible to our understanding of

the history of religious art. Material and technical aspects of

historical art works yield a great deal of information about provenance,

and thus reflect the cultural networks that characterized the world that

produced them. Furthermore, the imagery and decoration of art works

express their religious meanings, while details including reworking and

damage may inform us about their use (or disuse) in liturgy and

devotion.

The Swedish conservator and art historian Peter Tangeberg has shown how

the insights and methods of art conservation can make important steps in

the history of art (not least religious art). He has brought the wealth

of medieval and early modern art works in Scandinavia to a European

audience and opened up new discussions - as well as stirring up old ones

• on a range of aspects, including the transfer of styles and motifs,

materials and technologies across Central and Northern Europe.

This volume, which is dedicated to Tangeberg by fifteen friends and

colleagues on the occasion of his 75th birthday, reflects much of his

long and fruitful professional life. All of the contributions pursue a

combined perspective on technical/material issues and contextual (mostly

liturgical or devotional) aspects. The art works cover the period from

c. 1100 to c. 1800 and all originated in the wide area of Tangeberg’s

scholarly activity, especially Scandinavia and large parts of Western

and Central Europe.