Medieval Painted Decoration in St Michael’s Church in Mihkli, Estonia

Anneli Randla: Medieval painted decoration in St Michael’sin Mihkli, EstoniaKeywords: medieval murals, church decoration, paint research, technical studies of artSummary:Recent studies in the medieval St Michael’s Church in Mihkli, in western Estonia, have shown that the stone church was  constructed in two stages: at first a simple building with wooden ceiling was erected, and at a later date (possibly around 1500) stone vaulting was added over the first chancel and the nave. In August 2013, preliminary investigations were undertaken to study the painted decoration of the inner walls and vaults of the church. The small sample areas uncovered were sufficient to reveal several historical colour schemes. The richest decorationis contemporary with the first plastering of the vaults since the plaster was still moist when the paint was applied. The decoration is vernacular in character and its aim is to enhance the architectural features of the building. Thus the ribs and corbels of the vaults are painted but the decoration is extended to flat surfaces as well. For example painted pendants in grey and red adorn the ends of the ribs of the eight-partite vault of the chancel. The largest composition was discovered in the  eastern bay of the nave around the vault boss. An irregular eight-petalled red flower is formed around the boss with a cross on it. These paintings might have been executed by local church builders rather than by professional craftsmen.CV :Anneli Randla earned her PhD in art history at the University ofCambridge in 1999. She has worked for the National Heritage Board of Estonia for ten years. Since 2008 Randla has been an associate professor in the Department of Conservation at the Estonian Academy of Arts and currently she serves as the dean of the Faculty of Art and Culture at the academy. Her main research interests are: medieval ecclesiastical architecture, medieval murals, technical studies of art and the history of conservation

Colour in Church Interiors, Medieval and Beyond

Recent studies of churches of medieval origin in Estonia have shownthat these edifices have long histories of polychrome decorationboth before and after the Reformation. In this article, some aspectsof these colour schemes are discussed. Firstly, the question of thedecoration and redecoration of interiors during the Middle Ages isaddressed, secondly the authorship and technique of vernacularlookingmurals is discussed, and thirdly the geographical spreadof these decorations is analysed. In addition, post-medieval muralsare also examined.This article is based on fieldwork in Estonian medieval churchesconducted over a period of fifteen years by the staff and studentsof the Department of Conservation and Cultural Heritage at theEstonian Academy of Arts. Here mainly the results of work in thechurches at Koeru, Keila and Järva-Jaani is presented. Some otherchurches are also discussed for comparison.So far, medieval painted decoration has been found in around25 church interiors on the territory of present-day Estonia, i.e. inroughly a quarter of the medieval churches. Although the numberis not large, the finds allow us to draw some conclusions regardingthe spread of and networks behind these paintings.We can claim that as elsewhere in medieval (northern) Europe,medieval church interiors included at least some kind of painteddecoration. It seems likely that the first (and possibly in many casesthe only) colour scheme was provided by the builders. Especiallyin rural parishes, where no specialised guilds existed, it mighthave been difficult to employ professional painters, although notimpossible. Almost certainly the decoration was applied at the timeof plastering, when the mortar had not yet set and the scaffoldingwas still available.Historical records, surviving artworks and investigated interiorsdemonstrate that after the Reformation the Lutherans were less radical in transforming churches than were other Protestants: severalCatholic altar retables and statues were preserved, side altars werenot removed, etc. The churches were usually decorated with new,more modern murals and only whitewashed in many cases severalcenturies later.Gradually, church interiors became more monochrome, althoughnot necessarily white, something that has been associated with thespread of Pietistic ideas in the Lutheran church. However, the late 19thcentury brought a revival of colour to at least some churches. Thesecolourful, mainly Gothic revival interiors survived for only a shorttime and disappeared again when they were painted over everywhere.For example, in St Lawrence’s in Kuusalu, wall paintings dating fromthe period of the Gothic revival renovation of the medieval church(1899) were found and uncovered in 2021

MEDIEVAL PAINTED SAINTS MEETING MODERN MEDIA. PROJECT: “RODE ALTARPIECE IN CLOSE-UP”

The retable of the high altar of St Nicholas’ Church in Tallinn was made between 1478 and 1481 in Hermen Rode’s workshop in Lübeck. It is one of the most magnifcent and best preserved late medieval northern German altarpieces in Europe and one of the greatest masterpieces in the collection of the Art Museum of Estonia. From 1975 to 1992, the retable was restored by the Research Institute of Restoration, but the work was not completed. In 2013, the works were continued and the project “Rode Altarpiece in Close-Up” was launched. The conservation work coincides with a major research project in technical art history, with the aim of positioning the retable within the oeuvre of Hermen Rode’s workshop, as well as within the wider framework of late medieval German art and culture. The wider goal of the project is to map, test and develop the capacity and resources in Estonia for scientifc (instrumental) investigation of art works through the combination of technical and more conventional art historical research. The kick-of event of the project was a five-day intensive workshop on topics related to wooden polychrome objects. The need to organise the intensive workshop stemmed from the intended continuation of the conservation work on the high altar retable of St Nicholas’, and from the necessity of discussing contemporary conservation principles among wider academic and professional audiences. The course was led by Dr Arnulf von Ulmann, the former director of the Institute of Art Techniques and Conservation of the German National Museum. Dr von Ulmann’s lectures were dedicated to the diferent aspects of polychrome wooden object conservation from the manufacturing and decorating to the decay and preservation of the art works. The practical workshops were dedicated to the study of the high altar retable of St Nicholas’. The discussions of these sessions concentrated on the question of how past conservation decisions infuence present and future decisions ethically, aesthetically and methodologically

Still Life with Grapes and Nest

A complex conservation process revealed the layer of the painting inits original subtlety and delicate retouchings recreated the integralsurface of the painting. As a result, we can confirm that it is a paintingof high artistic quality dating most probably from the middle ofthe 17th century, painted on an oak panel of German origin. Weremain doubtful about the Internet auction suggested authorship,as the painting does not reach the artistic quality of Jan DavidszDé Heem, a top rank artist from the Netherlands. It is possible tocontinue with the art-historical analysis (and other investigations)of the painting, to find further proof for the hypothetical dating andmaybe even reach an attribution but we must not forget to ask thequestions whether and to whom it would be necessary. What matters for the owner of the painting is the fact that an artwork which decorates the wall of his home has both aesthetic and historical value – even without knowing its exact date or the painter