TECHNOLOGICAL STUDY AND CONTEXTUALIZATION OF MEDIEVAL CHURCH MURAL FRAGMENTS FROM AGNETORP CHURCH

Abstract

This thesis examines medieval mural fragments from Agnetorp church ruin focusing on their technological aspects through visual assessment, portable microscopy, UV- and raking light documentation and cross-section analysis. Very little information about the fragments was available beforehand, though they bore a visual resemblance to other medieval church murals attributed to the Amund Workshop, active in the late 1400s. A comparative study was done, studying the in situ medieval murals attributed to the Amund workshop in Gökhem Church and Suntak Old Church in Västergötland, Sweden. Photographs of mural fragments from Appuna church (Östergötland), also attributed to the Amund workshop, were included in the study. This thesis aims to compare the materials and techniques used in the Agnetorp fragments, the Appuna fragments, and the Gökhem and Suntak in situ murals. The study found both similarities and differences regarding the technological aspects of the fragments and the comparison material, tentatively pointing to the Agnetorp murals being produced by the Amund Workshop. A larger comparative study, and further analysis of the Agnetorp fragments, is needed to ascertain the material and technological aspects of both the Agnetorp fragments and the medieval church murals in Västergötland.