Kristina Lindholdt

The PhD project investigates polychromy on early medieval stone objects in Danish churches. Little is known of the original appearance of these objects, as 19th century medieval revival theories led to extensive restoration of the Danish churches and in case of stone objects the complete stripping of paint layers. Through examination of the remaining fragments, the project aims to establish how and with what materials stone sculptures in the early medieval period were painted, and how these practices correspond to medieval art and architecture in general, nationally as well as internationally.  

At the core of the project is a group of early medieval baptismal fonts, which for different reasons have not been stripped of paint. These font exhibit multiple paint layers, reflecting their long life. The most recent layers are mainly monochrome or marbled stone imitations, and due to their unassuming appearance, they have led a life in the shade.

The PhD project draws on the interdisciplinary methods of technical art history and architectural finishes research. In technical art history, works of art are studied as physical objects; by comparing literary sources, observations and chemical analyses, we aim to understand the materials and techniques that went into the objects’ making. In this project, the stone objects are furthermore considered as part of a coherent context, the church interior, which have repeatedly been changed throughout the centuries. Thus, to contextualise the decorative history of the font, the project employs architectural finishes research, which uses basic archaeological methods to establish and interpret the colour schemes of the church interior.

The project is an industrial PhD, hosted at the National Museum of Denmark and funded by Ny Carlsbergfondet. The PhD is supervised by Associate Professor Cecil Krarup Andersen and Associate Professor Mikkel Scharff, Institute for Conservation, and Senior Researcher Poul Grinder-Hansen, the National Museum.