Visual and technical study of the Kumla altar (c. 1439), Swedish History Museum, Stockholm

Abstract

An investigation of the Kumla altar at the Swedish History Museum was undertaken during a collaborative project between conservation education programmes from three Nordic universities. Students from Conservation Studies in Oslo examined painting materials and techniques to contribute to discussions of changes to this complex object. Both analyses and treatments were performed within an open gallery, encouraging interaction with the public. The results with later analyses of paint cross-sections indicate that the materials and their uses are similar to those found in the limited number of contemporary Lübeck objects that have been analysed to date. However, ongoing research is revising earlier assessments of Lübeck workshop practices, for which this study is an important contribution.