GRAVMONUMENTET I HÄLLSTAD: ETT VISUELLT SKÅDESPEL FRÅN 1100-TALET

Abstract

The aim of this master thesis is to study the reliefs of a Romanesque tombstone from 1130 AD, with the intention to form a plausible understanding of their meaning. During the course of the investigation, my main focus will be on collecting materials of an iconographical and historiographical nature, as they appear in previous studies. I will also use performative analysis when examining the tombstone. Consequently this thesis can be seen as a survey of history and place; early Christian iconology as well as the experience of the viewer. As a result, the 900-year-old tombstone will not only be seen as a memorial in this text, but also as a performance of one man’s faith and as representing the core message of the early Christian church.

The tombstone is a rarity in Swedish art history and well worth a closer examination. It consists of five different image reliefs on three sandstones, displaying humans (for example swordsmen and monks), dragons, crosses, animals and ornate vines.