Studio: international art (10.1897)

Early Scandinavian Wood-Carvings

om (The Viking Age, vol.

.n inac-

viving in Scandinavia are derived from the ancient In England we have examples of a Saxon bishop's

timber churches of Norway, chiefly doorways and "frid stool" of stone (at Hexham) and wooden

ecclesiastical chairs, some still in situ and others in chair traditionally associated with the Venerable

the museums at Copenhagen, Stockholm, Christi- Bede at Jarrow (see Scott's Antiquarian Gleanings

ania University, and Bergen. We hope to describe in the ATorth of England). Probably the Nor-

the details of the wooden churches on a future wegian chairs were put to similar uses by the offici-

occasion, and at present shall confine our remarks ating priest as the sedilia, or as the oak chairs of

entirely to the chairs, two of which, in the museum the Jacobean period which are to be seen on each

of the University of Christiania, are here illustrated side of the altar in many churches in this country,

from photographs by O. Vasring. In some of the Scandinavian chairs there is a box

Figs, i to 4 show the four faces of a chair from beneath the seat, possibly intended to be used as

Tyldalens Church, 0sterdalen, Norway, and Figs, the church chest for keeping the plate and parish

5 to 8 the four faces of a chair from Lorn,* Gud- registers in.

brandsdalen, also in Norway. There seems to be ■ However, the use of the chairs is not of so much

some doubt as tu the original use for which these importance to us at present as the method of their

chairs were intended. Paul du Chaillu {The construction and the details of their decorative

Viking Age, vol. ii. p. 256) calls them "bridal carving.

chairs," whilst R. Lovett {Nor- The Tyldalens chair (Figs. 1 to 4) is a fine

wegian Pictures, p. 163), in de- massive bit of carpentry, well put together with

scribing the chair which stands mortices, tenons, and pins or treenails, so as to

near the altar of Hitterdal Church, render glue unnecessary. The absence of such

expresses an opinion that it may pins in modern furniture leaves the whole tensile

have been episcopal. strain on each bar to be taken by the glue, which

generally turns out to be a broken reed to trust to.

du Chaillu states that this The frame\VOrk of the chair consists of two fore-

from Vaasje, twenty miles , r u- j 1 1

T..,. . ... leers of square section, two hind legs also square

below the seat, but becoming flatter and wider
above, so as to form the back, having flat horizontal
bars morticed into them to support the seat and to
keep the feet from spreading at the bottom.
There is a deep flat horizontal bar forming the top
of the back, into which the uprights are morticed;
and the back is strengthened at each side by two
strong knees. It will be noticed that in a chair
where there are no diagonal bars to take any side
thrust, its strength depends entirely on the depth
of the horizontal bars at the joint with the vertical
legs. Here the depth is ample for strength, and ii
affords a broad surface for the display of decora-
tive carving. The spaces between the horizontal
bars are filled in on each of the four sides with
pairs of what, for want of a better term, may be
called flat balusters. These are not an uncommon
feature in Norse woodwork, and they are generally
used with good effect. The back of the chair is
filled in with two such flat balusters placed cross-
wise, the central medallion being common to both.

The designer in spacing out his ornament has
judiciously left a fair proportion of blank space, so
as to give an occasional rest to the eye and thus
improve the appearance of the whole. The wide
flat bands of^the geometrical interlaced patterns
4,—carved wooden chair from tyldalens are used to contrast with the foliage and beasts

church, right side which, being more rounded, give the idea of

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