DOI issue:
No. 56 (November, 1897)
DOI article:Allen, John Romilly: Early scandinavian wood-carvings, [2]
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18390#0113
Early Scandinavian Wood-Carvings
Upper Hallingdal, about too miles
north-west of Christiania (Fig. 3).
The unusual proportions of the door
opening as compared with those of
doorways of stone churches in ling-
land is at once apparent. The former
are very high and narrow, and this is
to be accounted for by the fact that the
doorway had its origin in simply leav-
ing out one of the vertical' boards of
which the exterior walls of the wooden
churches are constructed. At Aal and
Stedje the lintel is formed of three
horizontal planks bridging over the
space left by the omission of one of
the vertical planks and connecting
together the upper ends of the two
""J ,. KB^*^ Sift**k^^Tjk'i^yr^SS^ vertical planks which are now the
jambs. The jambs are convex on the
outside like the other vertical planks
%^'. K^y^P^I^PBllSA of the walls, and have pillars with capi
tals and bases in relief on each side of
the door-opening. There is also a
sort of arch in relief on the lowest of
j^ajf^jlfr^ BSjWS^ES^^'iy tne three lintel planks, The capitals
J^y^^im^^^ K^^^MSj^p j { of the columns; are each surmounted
t \ ijNfe Ky^^^^'^l^- by the figure of a beast, possibly a lion.
^V^SpC^ 4^S^^^Si^^^^ ^ *n tne cer|tre of the doorway is a small
.^CSSSB^5 1^^^^SL4^S?W V human head hanging down between
two dragons with open mouths and
protruding tongues. This curious bit
of symbolism, whatever it may mean,
occurs on several of the early upright
cross-slabs in Scotland, notably at Dun-
fallandy in Perthshire. The decoration
of the rest of the doorway consists
entirely of winged dragons, whose tails
meander over the whole surface in con-
fig. 6.-door jamb from fig. 7.-d00r jamb from volutions of foliageous scrollwork won-
hyllestad church, hyllestad church, derfully interlaced and bewilderingly
satersdal satersdal complicated. The carving is extremely
good as regards its execution, but the
the surface and another, which are almost equivalent design altogether lacks simplicity. It is impossible
to the use of colour. Notice also how carefully to follow the endless windings, loopings and inter-
anything like a true plane parallel to the original lacings of the dragons and foliage. So that, after
face of the door is avoided, for the carver of old vainly trying to make out what it all means, one
knew well that any degree of light or shade could ends, like the marriage service, with amazement,
be got by slightly tilting a flat surface one way or The doorway of Tuft Church (Fig. 4) is of
the other, and if the flat surface were transformed the same class as that at Aal, but not nearly so
into a curved one, gradation of light or shade was elaborate.
added. The doorway of Flaa Church, in Hallingdal, fifty
We come now to the decorative carving round miles north-west of Christiania (Fig. 5), differs from
the doorway, and we cannot take a more beautiful the two preceding in having a semi-circular arched
or typical example than that from Aal Church, in top instead of a flat lintel. The arch is defined
87
Upper Hallingdal, about too miles
north-west of Christiania (Fig. 3).
The unusual proportions of the door
opening as compared with those of
doorways of stone churches in ling-
land is at once apparent. The former
are very high and narrow, and this is
to be accounted for by the fact that the
doorway had its origin in simply leav-
ing out one of the vertical' boards of
which the exterior walls of the wooden
churches are constructed. At Aal and
Stedje the lintel is formed of three
horizontal planks bridging over the
space left by the omission of one of
the vertical planks and connecting
together the upper ends of the two
""J ,. KB^*^ Sift**k^^Tjk'i^yr^SS^ vertical planks which are now the
jambs. The jambs are convex on the
outside like the other vertical planks
%^'. K^y^P^I^PBllSA of the walls, and have pillars with capi
tals and bases in relief on each side of
the door-opening. There is also a
sort of arch in relief on the lowest of
j^ajf^jlfr^ BSjWS^ES^^'iy tne three lintel planks, The capitals
J^y^^im^^^ K^^^MSj^p j { of the columns; are each surmounted
t \ ijNfe Ky^^^^'^l^- by the figure of a beast, possibly a lion.
^V^SpC^ 4^S^^^Si^^^^ ^ *n tne cer|tre of the doorway is a small
.^CSSSB^5 1^^^^SL4^S?W V human head hanging down between
two dragons with open mouths and
protruding tongues. This curious bit
of symbolism, whatever it may mean,
occurs on several of the early upright
cross-slabs in Scotland, notably at Dun-
fallandy in Perthshire. The decoration
of the rest of the doorway consists
entirely of winged dragons, whose tails
meander over the whole surface in con-
fig. 6.-door jamb from fig. 7.-d00r jamb from volutions of foliageous scrollwork won-
hyllestad church, hyllestad church, derfully interlaced and bewilderingly
satersdal satersdal complicated. The carving is extremely
good as regards its execution, but the
the surface and another, which are almost equivalent design altogether lacks simplicity. It is impossible
to the use of colour. Notice also how carefully to follow the endless windings, loopings and inter-
anything like a true plane parallel to the original lacings of the dragons and foliage. So that, after
face of the door is avoided, for the carver of old vainly trying to make out what it all means, one
knew well that any degree of light or shade could ends, like the marriage service, with amazement,
be got by slightly tilting a flat surface one way or The doorway of Tuft Church (Fig. 4) is of
the other, and if the flat surface were transformed the same class as that at Aal, but not nearly so
into a curved one, gradation of light or shade was elaborate.
added. The doorway of Flaa Church, in Hallingdal, fifty
We come now to the decorative carving round miles north-west of Christiania (Fig. 5), differs from
the doorway, and we cannot take a more beautiful the two preceding in having a semi-circular arched
or typical example than that from Aal Church, in top instead of a flat lintel. The arch is defined
87