From Conservation to Interpretation

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.