Unn Plahter
University of Oslo, Conservation, Emeritus
- Viking Studies, Tempera and Oil in the 1100 and 1200S, Lapis lazuli use and trade, University of Oslo, Byzantine manuscripts, Assyriology, and 51 moreMedieval Sculpture, Interchange between Eastern and Western art in the medieval east, Romanesque Art, painting materials and techniques, Byzantine art, 15th Century Netherlandish Art, Visual Culture, World Archaeology, Roman Empire, Barbarians, Toreutics, Pannonia, Silverware, South Asia, Qur'anic Studies, Akhenaten, Merovingian period, Medieval Art, Gold, Viking Age Archaeology, Medieval History, Serbian Medieval History, Conservation, Interior, Crypt, Medieval painting technique, Perspectives, Medieval Scandinavia, Drawings (Architecture), Lightfastness Assessment, Medieval Archaeology, Art History, Painting, Archaeology, Rare Books and Manuscripts, Early Medieval Archaeology, History of Perspective in Painting, Late Antiquity, Gold Myrtle Wreaths, late Classical – early Hellenistic period, Ancient Egyptian Art and Archaeology, Historiography, Book History, Late Antique and Byzantine Studies, Medieval Church History, Old Norse Literature, Medieaval Studies, Artes Decorativas, Artifacts, Medieval Goldsmith`s Art, and Technologyedit
pages 138-183 the palette - Analyses (micro chemical tests, XRD; SEM-EDX FT-IR, GC-MS +.... see Table 39 p. 141, colouring materials: use, characterisation and identification. contribution from Katharina von Salis on chalk and coccolith... more
pages 138-183
the palette - Analyses (micro chemical tests, XRD; SEM-EDX FT-IR, GC-MS +.... see Table 39 p. 141, colouring materials: use, characterisation and identification. contribution from Katharina von Salis on chalk and coccolith identification and lead isotope identification by Sophie Stos
the palette - Analyses (micro chemical tests, XRD; SEM-EDX FT-IR, GC-MS +.... see Table 39 p. 141, colouring materials: use, characterisation and identification. contribution from Katharina von Salis on chalk and coccolith identification and lead isotope identification by Sophie Stos
2. Binding media (by Unn Plahter and Raymond White) 160, 2.1 Range of materials, their chemical and physical behaviour 160, 2.1. I Aqueous media 160, 2.1.2 Drying oils 161; 2.1.3 Pine resin 162; 2.2 Refraction and translucency... more
2. Binding media (by Unn Plahter and Raymond White) 160,
2.1 Range of materials, their chemical and physical behaviour 160,
2.1. I Aqueous media 160,
2.1.2 Drying oils 161;
2.1.3 Pine resin 162;
2.2 Refraction and translucency of paint 163,
2.3 Early oil technique 164,
2.4 Some recent analyses of related material 165,
2.5 Analyses 165,
25.1 Methods 165,
2.5.2 Analytical results 168,
2.5.3 Colours, pigments and media 168;
3 Summary 176,
3.1 Pigments 176,
3.2 Binding media 177,
3.3 The Heddal frontal;
2.1 Range of materials, their chemical and physical behaviour 160,
2.1. I Aqueous media 160,
2.1.2 Drying oils 161;
2.1.3 Pine resin 162;
2.2 Refraction and translucency of paint 163,
2.3 Early oil technique 164,
2.4 Some recent analyses of related material 165,
2.5 Analyses 165,
25.1 Methods 165,
2.5.2 Analytical results 168,
2.5.3 Colours, pigments and media 168;
3 Summary 176,
3.1 Pigments 176,
3.2 Binding media 177,
3.3 The Heddal frontal;
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Three types of gilding on jewellery excavated in Norway have been investigated: embossed diffusion-gilded silver sheets (four items: Scandinavian, 3rd century A.D.), punched amalgam-gilded silver sheets (two items: Scandinavian, 5th... more
Three types of gilding on jewellery excavated in Norway have been investigated: embossed diffusion-gilded silver sheets (four items: Scandinavian, 3rd century A.D.), punched amalgam-gilded silver sheets (two items: Scandinavian, 5th century A.D.), and amalgam-gilded castings (two items: Irish, 8th century A.D.). The various gilding techniques are discussed and the analyses of the amalgam-gilded items are presented. Microprobe and SEM analyses were obtained from polished cross-sections and concentration profiles of the Au, Ag and Hg were acquired. The analyses strongly indicate that one of the castings was made from "burnt" silver alloyed with as tin rich bronze rather than copper. For this complex alloy the series of phases formed during casting were deduced from the ternary phase diagrams of Ag-Cu-Sn. Some historical aspects related to amalgam gilding, its making and occurrence are briefly dealt with.
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AbstractA polychromed sculpture was restored and examined. The shrine is made from pine-wood and the sculpture from oak. The ground consists of chalk and animal glue; the pigments are: azurite, a green copper pigment, yellow organic... more
AbstractA polychromed sculpture was restored and examined. The shrine is made from pine-wood and the sculpture from oak. The ground consists of chalk and animal glue; the pigments are: azurite, a green copper pigment, yellow organic colouring material, orpiment, red lead, vermilion, red organic colouring material, iron oxide red, lead white and charred matter (charcoal ?). Metals used are gold and silver. The medium is on a drying-oil base to which a protein-containing material is added. Generally, the colours were built up in two layers. There is an extensive use of imitation gold, while the use of gold foil is limited to the areas of hair and the flowers on the garments.In general, the wood in all parts of the object was in good condition and no general impregnation was needed. Cracks in the shrine were filled in with wood or rejoined. The sculpture, which was split in two, was glued together. The condition of the polychromy was relatively good, and only local treatment was required.
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A major motivation for the scientific study of artworks is to understand their states of preservation and ongoing degradation mechanisms. This enables preservation strategies to be developed for irreplaceable works. Intensely-hued cadmium... more
A major motivation for the scientific study of artworks is to understand their states of preservation and ongoing degradation mechanisms. This enables preservation strategies to be developed for irreplaceable works. Intensely-hued cadmium sulphide (CdS) yellow pigments are of particular interest because these are key to the palettes of many important late 19th and early 20th century masters, including Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Edvard Munch. As these paintings age, their cadmium yellow paints are undergoing severe fading, flaking, and discolouration. These effects are associated with photodegradation, the light-facilitated reactions of CdS with oxygen, moisture, and even the paint binding medium. The use of common optical and X-ray methods to characterize the physical state of the pigment is challenging due to the mixing of the various components of the paint at length scales smaller than their resolution. Here, we present an atomic-scale structural and chem...
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The materials, structure and technique of a previously restored polychrome tabernacle are described. The treatment consisted of consolidating the original structure as well as relieving it of the disfiguring later additions. A general... more
The materials, structure and technique of a previously restored polychrome tabernacle are described. The treatment consisted of consolidating the original structure as well as relieving it of the disfiguring later additions. A general impregnation of the polychromy on the figure of the saint and the tempera paintings was carried out with a mixture of beeswax and dammar. Soluble nylon was used to consolidate specific areas.
Reviews the brief instructions for paintings from the first half of the 14th century which were found as an appendix of Priest Olafur Ormsson's manuscript (Arne Magnussons's collection ms. am 194.8/Copenhagen). Compares them to... more
Reviews the brief instructions for paintings from the first half of the 14th century which were found as an appendix of Priest Olafur Ormsson's manuscript (Arne Magnussons's collection ms. am 194.8/Copenhagen). Compares them to the results of technical examination of mediaeval Icelandic/Norwegian art, sculpture and panel painting, with special reference to gilding imitation. The article includes the original text in ancient Icelandic/Norwegian as well as its English translation.
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A polychromed wooden carving (birch) dated to the late 12th century early 13th century. Design layers are analysed using SEM-EDX. A thin preparation layer of red earth covers the wood and appears as a rare practice. Pigments are lapis... more
A polychromed wooden carving (birch) dated to the late 12th century early 13th century. Design layers are analysed using SEM-EDX. A thin preparation layer of red earth covers the wood and appears as a rare practice. Pigments are lapis lazuli, green earth, orpiment, red lead and vermilion, a palette most typical for th 12th century the medium apparently aqueous. In difference to the golden style with the goldsmiths precious materials, the coloured style of this sculpture relies on the painting proper with strong contrasting dens colours, a typical expression of the 12th century where mat opaque aqueous paints were dominant.
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The paper focuses on transparent versus opaque paints used on these early oil paintings. Scientific analyses reveal that different composite mixtures of media were employed for the different pigment mixtures. Before the oil... more
The paper focuses on transparent versus opaque paints used on these early oil paintings. Scientific analyses reveal that different composite mixtures of media were employed for the different pigment mixtures. Before the oil technique was known, transparent materials belonged to the crafts of glass makers and goldsmiths. The materials were mechanically shaped from solids or formed from melts of glass using high temperatures.The oil medium, on the other hand, allowed painters to imitate precious materials such as enamels by simply spreading the transparent glazes on metal leaf at room temperature. Possibly Theophilus valued this property of the oil as its most remarkable-
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The Thornham Parva Retable as well as the two Norwegian frontals Odda and Tresfjord are datable to the second quarter of the 14th cent. This paper follows step by step the making of the paintings. The use of colour modelling was an... more
The Thornham Parva Retable as well as the two Norwegian frontals Odda and Tresfjord are datable to the second quarter of the 14th cent. This paper follows step by step the making of the paintings. The use of colour modelling was an important feature and comparable to the style observed in the Thornham Parva Retable. As colour images of the two Norwegian frontals were not originally published, these are attached to the end of the paper uploaded.
Plain air oil painting on paper. Eight studies were investigate see also Die ölstudien Johan Christian Dahls auf Papier.... 1987. This pulication includes
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12th century polychome sculpture. Scientific analyses of pigment and media. Preparation layer of lead white bound in drying oil, oil gilding, red and green glazes applied on gold leaf. First published in 1984 in Maltechnik-Restauro 90/1... more
12th century polychome sculpture. Scientific analyses of pigment and media. Preparation layer of lead white bound in drying oil, oil gilding, red and green glazes applied on gold leaf.
First published in 1984 in Maltechnik-Restauro 90/1 (1984) pp. 35-44.
A Romanesque wooden polychrome sculpture from the church of Hemse, Gotland, dated 1170-1190, is examined (see also P. Tangeberg, same periodical). Layer structure, pigments, and medium are studied and identified by cross-sectioning, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and electron microprobe. Wet chemical analysis and x-ray powder diffraction analysis were carried out, fatty acid composition was determined by gas chromotography. Analyses of paint were also done by infrared spectrometry. Both Christ and cross are painted in an oil technique. No general chalk glue ground was applied. Pigments: lapis lazuli (natural ultramarine), verdigris, organic yellow?, red lead, vermilion, organic red, lead white and black charred material. Gold foil is applied to an oil mordant. Oil medium both in ground and paint layers on 12th-century art may seem astonishing. A survey of 12thand 13th-century paint manuals suggests that this was a normal proccdure. (Reg. Editor's note: This art...
First published in 1984 in Maltechnik-Restauro 90/1 (1984) pp. 35-44.
A Romanesque wooden polychrome sculpture from the church of Hemse, Gotland, dated 1170-1190, is examined (see also P. Tangeberg, same periodical). Layer structure, pigments, and medium are studied and identified by cross-sectioning, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and electron microprobe. Wet chemical analysis and x-ray powder diffraction analysis were carried out, fatty acid composition was determined by gas chromotography. Analyses of paint were also done by infrared spectrometry. Both Christ and cross are painted in an oil technique. No general chalk glue ground was applied. Pigments: lapis lazuli (natural ultramarine), verdigris, organic yellow?, red lead, vermilion, organic red, lead white and black charred material. Gold foil is applied to an oil mordant. Oil medium both in ground and paint layers on 12th-century art may seem astonishing. A survey of 12thand 13th-century paint manuals suggests that this was a normal proccdure. (Reg. Editor's note: This art...
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Characteristic features identified in the making of 13th century oil painting are compared to those identified in oil painting in the fifteenth century. This study finds that pigments and media are largely the same while the more serious... more
Characteristic features identified in the making of 13th century oil painting are compared to those identified in oil painting in the fifteenth century. This study finds that pigments and media are largely the same while the more serious changes are found in the use of underpaints versus priming, in the practice of incised drawings versus underdrawings and in the application of isolation layers.
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Author Leif Einar Plahter co-author Unn Plahter Eight oil paintings on paper have been analysed. The investigation of paper, preparation, pencil drawing, pigments and paint application is included. Die untersuchung (acht malereien)... more
Author Leif Einar Plahter co-author Unn Plahter
Eight oil paintings on paper have been analysed. The investigation of paper, preparation, pencil drawing, pigments and paint application is included.
Die untersuchung (acht malereien) zielte darauf ab, Auschlüsse zu erhalten über die Art des gewälten Papiers, seine Preparierung bezieungsweise Grundierung. die Pigmente, die Malweise und so weiter.
Eight oil paintings on paper have been analysed. The investigation of paper, preparation, pencil drawing, pigments and paint application is included.
Die untersuchung (acht malereien) zielte darauf ab, Auschlüsse zu erhalten über die Art des gewälten Papiers, seine Preparierung bezieungsweise Grundierung. die Pigmente, die Malweise und so weiter.
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This early thirteenth century polychrome sculpture of the Virgin and Child is on display in its original setting in a tabernacle in the medieval Church of Hedalen in Norway. The article includes: A description of the oak core of the... more
This early thirteenth century polychrome sculpture of the Virgin and Child is on display in its original setting in a tabernacle in the medieval Church of Hedalen in Norway.
The article includes: A description of the oak core of the sculpture and its placement in the parent tree trunk as well as the joining of protruding elements and surface trimming. Instrumental analyses are used for analyses of media and colouring materials. The composition of the ground layer and its preparation for burnished water silvering is described. A yellow glaze over the silver is used for imitating gold. Pigments, layered structures and various uses of oil for glazes are descried. Oil gilding is used for the hair.
The article includes: A description of the oak core of the sculpture and its placement in the parent tree trunk as well as the joining of protruding elements and surface trimming. Instrumental analyses are used for analyses of media and colouring materials. The composition of the ground layer and its preparation for burnished water silvering is described. A yellow glaze over the silver is used for imitating gold. Pigments, layered structures and various uses of oil for glazes are descried. Oil gilding is used for the hair.
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The paper focuses on medieval wooden sculptures in the 12th and early 13th century in Norway, with preserved original polychromy. The presentation of materials used in the construction, the painting and gilding are based on material... more
The paper focuses on medieval wooden sculptures in the 12th and early 13th century in Norway, with preserved original polychromy. The presentation of materials used in the construction, the painting and gilding are based on material analyses. Their application is discussed and compared to those produced in the period that immediately follows. Conclusions reached about the characteristics of this period allow future research to be suggested. It is clear from the evidence gained that both the making and the perception of Catholic church art in medieval Norway was firmly rooted in an established culture consistent with Christian paradigms found in the rest of medieval Europe. The analytical results from the examination of sculpture preserved in Norway are therefore relevant to a wider European context. To what extent medieval sculpture was imported or produced in Norway and by whom is an ongoing discussion. A better knowledge of the sculptural traditions of a wider geographical area will provide the context required to improve our understanding of the cultural exchanges of the medieval period.
Keywords: Polychromy, Sculpture, Materiality, Painting technology, Medieval.
Keywords: Polychromy, Sculpture, Materiality, Painting technology, Medieval.
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A summary is given in English on last text page
Twenty three objects were analysed. using non-destructive methods. Only three lumps were identified as jet/lignite while the remaining 20 were classified as non- jet. 16 as oil shale and four as cannel coal/oil shale..
Authors Katharina von Salis Perch-Nielsen and Unn Plahter Chalk is not found in Norway and had to be imported. Based on coccoliths assemblage the aim was to locate provenance of chalk in art over the period c. 1100 to 1500. Thus... more
Authors Katharina von Salis Perch-Nielsen and Unn Plahter
Chalk is not found in Norway and had to be imported. Based on coccoliths assemblage the aim was to locate provenance of chalk in art over the period c. 1100 to 1500. Thus coccolith assemblages in chalk deposits in Northern Europe is mapped and provenance based on coccolith assemblages in art was suggested.
Chalk is not found in Norway and had to be imported. Based on coccoliths assemblage the aim was to locate provenance of chalk in art over the period c. 1100 to 1500. Thus coccolith assemblages in chalk deposits in Northern Europe is mapped and provenance based on coccolith assemblages in art was suggested.
Datable to the first half of the 14th century. Analyses of support, preparation layers, painting materials and paint application. Analyses included sampling, cross-sectioning, wet chemical analyses as well as SEM-EDX analyses. Metal foil... more
Datable to the first half of the 14th century. Analyses of support, preparation layers, painting materials and paint application. Analyses included sampling, cross-sectioning, wet chemical analyses as well as SEM-EDX analyses. Metal foil in this article should be read as leaf metal. Four techniques with metal leaf was identified and included silver leaf and Zwischgold, Zwischgold in an unusual multi-layered structure with counter-changing layers of silver and gold possibly ascribed to a failure during production of the Zwischgold . Gold leaf was not identified. Both oil and water soluble adhesives were used. The Ganthem panel may appear to draw on other painting traditions than do the Norwegian frontals. Interestingly, however, the Norwegian frontal from Kvæfjord bears a rather strong technical resemblance to modelling and colouring of the Ganthem panel. See U. Plahter: Norwegian art technology in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries:
materials and techniques in a European context, p 313., in Zeitschrift für Kunstechnologie und Konservierung - 28 Jahrgang 2014 hefte 2. 298-332.
materials and techniques in a European context, p 313., in Zeitschrift für Kunstechnologie und Konservierung - 28 Jahrgang 2014 hefte 2. 298-332.
Author is Peter Tångeberg. There are no co-authors. Plahter And Tångeberg have published two separate articles on the investigation of the Ganthem Retable Support, application of preparation layers, incised drawings, metal foil and... more
Author is Peter Tångeberg. There are no co-authors. Plahter And Tångeberg have published two separate articles on the investigation of the Ganthem Retable
Support, application of preparation layers, incised drawings, metal foil and paint are investigated. The retable is made with several types of wood fitted together which suggests that it was made on Gotland. It may be described as a pictorial screen without movable wings. Parts of such remain on Gotland, only one on the mainland. Most surviving retables have carved figures, three dimensional arcades and other architectural features. An over view of existing reredos and retables on Gotland are dicussed. Remarkable is the use of red bole for the water guilding on the Ganthem, in this case carried out with a multi-layered structure of counter-changing silver and gold perhaps deriving from a failed Zwischgold production.
Support, application of preparation layers, incised drawings, metal foil and paint are investigated. The retable is made with several types of wood fitted together which suggests that it was made on Gotland. It may be described as a pictorial screen without movable wings. Parts of such remain on Gotland, only one on the mainland. Most surviving retables have carved figures, three dimensional arcades and other architectural features. An over view of existing reredos and retables on Gotland are dicussed. Remarkable is the use of red bole for the water guilding on the Ganthem, in this case carried out with a multi-layered structure of counter-changing silver and gold perhaps deriving from a failed Zwischgold production.
Scientific analyses of five 3rd century AD rosette-brooches found in Norway. Analyses of the range of metals, joining methods, decorations in bossed diffusion gilded sheets, beaded wires and springs in drawn wire.
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Investigations of this painting was first published in 1983 (in Acta ad archaeologiam et artiaum historiam pertinentia, vol 3 1983) The paper includes contributions of Leif Einar Plahter and Unn Simonsen Plahter. investigations... more
Investigations of this painting was first published in 1983 (in Acta ad archaeologiam et artiaum historiam pertinentia, vol 3 1983)
The paper includes contributions of Leif Einar Plahter and Unn Simonsen Plahter. investigations involves analyses of the structure of canvas support , the two red ochre grounds (coarse and fine), white priming and: pigments , media and lead soaps as well as the step by step application of the pictorial layers. The painting is remarkably well preserved. It has remained unlined and is an exceptional condition for a painting from the first quarter of the 17th century.
Unfortunately the graf in fig 25 in the original paper of 1983 was incorrectly reproduced in this publication of 1999. The correct version of the graf is now scanned into this publication of Acta made 17 Nov. 2017..
The paper includes contributions of Leif Einar Plahter and Unn Simonsen Plahter. investigations involves analyses of the structure of canvas support , the two red ochre grounds (coarse and fine), white priming and: pigments , media and lead soaps as well as the step by step application of the pictorial layers. The painting is remarkably well preserved. It has remained unlined and is an exceptional condition for a painting from the first quarter of the 17th century.
Unfortunately the graf in fig 25 in the original paper of 1983 was incorrectly reproduced in this publication of 1999. The correct version of the graf is now scanned into this publication of Acta made 17 Nov. 2017..
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Scientific studies of Munch's techniques stared in the mid 20th century and involved for the most part non-destructive analyses including X-radiography. infrared reflectography, ultraviolet radiation and surface microscopy. Sampling,... more
Scientific studies of Munch's techniques stared in the mid 20th century and involved for the most part non-destructive analyses including X-radiography. infrared reflectography, ultraviolet radiation and surface microscopy. Sampling, cross-sectioning and instrumental analyses was increasingly used for investigations after c. 2000. This paper starts with a presentation of the results obtained with the early non-invasive analyses. Thereafter the wide range of investigations carried out by the many institutions involved with the care and research of Munch's painting are presented. In this process recent findings on the use of cadmium yellow as well as perspective analyses of the Scream paining are presented.
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Analyses of 31 Norwegian panel paintings datable to the period 1250-1350. Comprises medieval carpentry, preparation layers, and painting technique largely carried out in an oil techniique. This study is part of a three volume... more
Analyses of 31 Norwegian panel paintings datable to the period 1250-1350. Comprises medieval carpentry, preparation layers, and painting technique largely carried out in an oil techniique.
This study is part of a three volume publication. Volum 2, published by Plahter (more than 300 pages) deals with art technology. Volume 3 gives illustrations of all paintings ln colour and drawings of panel structures and incised drawins, as well as X-radiographs. Volume 1 involves art historical analyses published by Erla Hohler et al.
Obviously this is not a paper and has been uploaded incorrectly by me Unn Plahter
This study is part of a three volume publication. Volum 2, published by Plahter (more than 300 pages) deals with art technology. Volume 3 gives illustrations of all paintings ln colour and drawings of panel structures and incised drawins, as well as X-radiographs. Volume 1 involves art historical analyses published by Erla Hohler et al.
Obviously this is not a paper and has been uploaded incorrectly by me Unn Plahter
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Paintings and polychrome sculpture on wooden support, an overview of the main features found in the carpentry, preparation and design layers of paint. Includes wood spiecies, carving, materials and application of ground layers, pigments... more
Paintings and polychrome sculpture on wooden support, an overview of the main features found in the carpentry, preparation and design layers of paint. Includes wood spiecies, carving, materials and application of ground layers, pigments and media and the application of paint as well as changing trends in fashion and the application of colour.
Notice that it was tin not lead (a misprint on page 562) that was found in a rather substantial amount and assigned to a tin bronze, closely related to speculum. The gilding technique found on fibula date-able to the 3nd cent AC is... more
Notice that it was tin not lead (a misprint on page 562) that was found in a rather substantial amount and assigned to a tin bronze, closely related to speculum.
The gilding technique found on fibula date-able to the 3nd cent AC is based on a diffusion gilding technique (published in 1995, see note 1). Amalgam gilding was found on the jewellery from the 5th and 8th century presented here in this paper. Notably a whitish silver-copper-tin alloy (67wt% Ag, 20wt% Cu and 11% Sn) was used for the casting of the fragmented 8th cent. jewellery present here .On these grounds it was tentatively suggested that the raw materials for the casting was fine silver which was melted down with the tin bronze.
Three types of gilding on jewellery excavated in Norway have been investigated: embossed diffusion-gilded silver sheets (four items: Scandinavian, 3rd century A.D.), punched amalgam-gilded silver sheets (two items: Scandinavian, 5th century A.D.), and amalgam-gilded castings (two items: Irish, 8th century A.D.).
The various gilding techniques are discussed and the analyses of the amalgam-gilded items are presented.
Microprobe and SEM analyses were obtained from polished cross-sections and concentration profiles of the Au, Ag and Hg were acquired. The analyses strongly indicate that one of the castings was made from burnt U Three types of gilding on jewellery excavated in Norway have been investigated: embossed diffusion-gilded silver sheets (four items: Scandinavian, 3rd century A.D.), punched amalgam-gilded silver sheets (two items: Scandinavian, 5th century A.D.), and amalgam-gilded castings (two items: Irish, 8th century A.D.). The various gilding techniques are discussed and the analyses of the amalgam-gilded items are presented. Microprobe and SEM analyses were obtained from polished cross-sections and concentration profiles of the Au, Ag and Hg were acquired. The analyses strongly indicate that one of the castings was made from "burnt" silver alloyed with as tin rich bronze rather than copper. For this complex alloy the series of phases formed during casting were deduced from the ternary phase diagrams of Ag-Cu-Sn. Some historical aspects related to amalgam gilding, its making and occurrence are briefly dealt with.burnt silver alloyed with a tin rich bronze rather than copper. For this complex alloy the series of phases formed during casting were deduced from the ternary phase diagrams of Ag-Cu-Sn.
Some historical aspects related to amalgam gilding, its making and occurrence are briefly dealt with.
The gilding technique found on fibula date-able to the 3nd cent AC is based on a diffusion gilding technique (published in 1995, see note 1). Amalgam gilding was found on the jewellery from the 5th and 8th century presented here in this paper. Notably a whitish silver-copper-tin alloy (67wt% Ag, 20wt% Cu and 11% Sn) was used for the casting of the fragmented 8th cent. jewellery present here .On these grounds it was tentatively suggested that the raw materials for the casting was fine silver which was melted down with the tin bronze.
Three types of gilding on jewellery excavated in Norway have been investigated: embossed diffusion-gilded silver sheets (four items: Scandinavian, 3rd century A.D.), punched amalgam-gilded silver sheets (two items: Scandinavian, 5th century A.D.), and amalgam-gilded castings (two items: Irish, 8th century A.D.).
The various gilding techniques are discussed and the analyses of the amalgam-gilded items are presented.
Microprobe and SEM analyses were obtained from polished cross-sections and concentration profiles of the Au, Ag and Hg were acquired. The analyses strongly indicate that one of the castings was made from burnt U Three types of gilding on jewellery excavated in Norway have been investigated: embossed diffusion-gilded silver sheets (four items: Scandinavian, 3rd century A.D.), punched amalgam-gilded silver sheets (two items: Scandinavian, 5th century A.D.), and amalgam-gilded castings (two items: Irish, 8th century A.D.). The various gilding techniques are discussed and the analyses of the amalgam-gilded items are presented. Microprobe and SEM analyses were obtained from polished cross-sections and concentration profiles of the Au, Ag and Hg were acquired. The analyses strongly indicate that one of the castings was made from "burnt" silver alloyed with as tin rich bronze rather than copper. For this complex alloy the series of phases formed during casting were deduced from the ternary phase diagrams of Ag-Cu-Sn. Some historical aspects related to amalgam gilding, its making and occurrence are briefly dealt with.burnt silver alloyed with a tin rich bronze rather than copper. For this complex alloy the series of phases formed during casting were deduced from the ternary phase diagrams of Ag-Cu-Sn.
Some historical aspects related to amalgam gilding, its making and occurrence are briefly dealt with.
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This paper deals with painting materials identified on medieval art in Norway, their sources and how changes in preference for pigments were influenced by the move to an oil-based medium. This paper also discusses how alterations in... more
This paper deals with painting materials identified on
medieval art in Norway, their sources and how changes in
preference for pigments were influenced by the move to an
oil-based medium. This paper also discusses how alterations
in the trade in lapis lazuli may have affected the use of blue
pigments in the West, and considers whether names for the
pigment lapis lazuli or ultramarine may reflect a descriptive
name or a place name.
medieval art in Norway, their sources and how changes in
preference for pigments were influenced by the move to an
oil-based medium. This paper also discusses how alterations
in the trade in lapis lazuli may have affected the use of blue
pigments in the West, and considers whether names for the
pigment lapis lazuli or ultramarine may reflect a descriptive
name or a place name.
... craquelure; painting, cleaning; painting, canvas rigid support; painting, analysis; cross-section,painting; conservation, state-of-conservation analysis; painting, gilding; painting, retouch; painting, restoration report; painting,... more
... craquelure; painting, cleaning; painting, canvas rigid support; painting, analysis; cross-section,painting; conservation, state-of-conservation analysis; painting, gilding; painting, retouch; painting, restoration report; painting, protection glazing; painting, radiography x ray; painting ...
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Part I gives a detailed description of the wood panels including wood species, shaping of boards and battens, joining methods and state of preservation.. in this publication it was concluded that iron nails in pine panels were inserted... more
Part I gives a detailed description of the wood panels including wood species, shaping of boards and battens, joining methods and state of preservation.. in this publication it was concluded that iron nails in pine panels were inserted before treenails in order tho keep boards and frame assembled when holes were borde for the treenails. This has proved to be incorrect. Lars Stålegård found when working with the reconstruction ofTingelstad I that the iron mails were inserted after treenails were inserted. This would have helped to ‘stiffen’ up the structure.
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Overview of general and particular features: Panel-size, type of wood, construction and levelling of the wood surface . Preparation layers and incised drawings. The carpenter and the painter. Paint,: colours, fashion and materials. A... more
Overview of general and particular features: Panel-size, type of wood, construction and levelling of the wood surface . Preparation layers and incised drawings. The carpenter and the painter. Paint,: colours, fashion and materials. A comparison with related material, Norwegian/Spanish frontals , frontals and taberrnacles, style technique and workshop relationship.
Research Interests:
The third volume covering the excavations of 1998–2003 in the Viking-period town of Kaupang examines a range of artefacts and discusses the inhabitants of the town: their origins, activities and trading connexions. Certain key threads... more
The third volume covering the excavations of 1998–2003 in the Viking-period town of Kaupang examines a range of artefacts and discusses the inhabitants of the town: their origins, activities and trading connexions. Certain key threads from both this and the two previous volumes in the series are drawn together. The main categories of artefact are metal jewellery and ornaments, gemstones, vessel glass, pottery, finds of soapstone, whetstones and textile-production equipment. The artefacts are described and dated, and in some cases their areas of origin are discussed. An exceptional wealth and diversity of artefacts distinguishes sites such as Kaupang from all other types of site in the Viking world. This reflects the fact that a large population of some 400–600 people, engaged in a comprehensive range of production and trade, lived closely together in the town c. ad 800–930. The finds and structural remains make it possible to identify the activities that took place within the six buildings excavated. The earliest buildings were in use only periodically, but those erected in the 820s were occupied permanently. The earlier structures were used for limited periods by a variety of craftsmen, but those in permanent occupation were primarily houses and only secondarily workshops. Throughout the life of the town, trade links with southern Scandinavia, the Baltic and the Irish Sea appear to have been strong. In the earliest phases of the town there was considerable trade with the Frisian zone, probably with Dorestad, but this link faded in the second half of the 9th century, probably because Dorestad had been abandoned. Kaupang seems to have been supplied with goods from the interior of eastern Norway, while goods from the western coastland of Norway are all but absent. Finds of personal equipment show that many of the inhabitants were from southern and western Scandinavia. One house can be identified as that of a Frisian household engaged in trade. There were also Slavs in Kaupang, although it is not clear if they too were long-term residents. Kaupang was located in a border zone between southern and northern Scandinavia as well as between the East and the West. The trading potential of such border zones is probably why Kaupang, unlike Ribe, survived the demise of the Frisian trade in the mid-late 9th century.