Transformations of Late Medieval Church Art: The Role and Challenges of Conservation Science

Within the cross-disciplinary framework of the project “After the Black Death: Painting and Polychrome Sculpture in Norway” paints and materials from late medieval church art were studied with a multi-analytical approach. This chapter describes results of the historical and scientific approach and illustrates how conservation scientists identify materials and characterize their properties and context. Results of analyses of three composite objects owned by the Museum of Cultural History at the University of Oslo reveal components of paints and alteration mechanisms related to degradation. Interpretation of results advances and complements ongoing investigations of polychromed objects that survive in northern Europe.