Förändra, förbättra, förnya? Retuschering av medeltida kalkmåleri

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to take a critical look at retouching of medieval mural paintings in Sweden. This is done by firstly examining the different methods of retouching, including the materials used. Secondary it tries to answer the question of which intentions have guided the conservator’s decisions dealing with the retouching. The medieval mural paintings in Swedish churches have three major functions today. It has to work as a part of a modern church and does so by giving the room a sense of the many changes of the religious cult but at the same time it works as a reminder of the historical continuity of the Christian religion. At the same time it has to function as a work of art, which means that it has an aesthetical dimension. The third function is as a historical source, which requires a minimum of retouching to be trustable. This paper examines how the retouching affects the different functions of the mural paintings as stated above. The questions are then applied to four different churches to give an example from real life of how the retouching has been done and how it affects the pictures. Two of the churches, Bjäresjö church and Västra Sallerup church, are in Skåne and two, Husaby church and Götene church, are in Västergötland. Changes in the methods and ethics are recorded over time, going towards a minimum intervention, with the exception of Mandelgren’s restoration of Bjäresjö in 1852, but there is no obvious geographical difference.