Atdzimusais Rigas doma ziemelu priekshalles viduslaiku gleznojums

• Authors: Elita Grosmane

Title variants

EN

THE RESTORED MEDIEVAL PAINTING IN THE NORTH-SIDE PORCH OF THE RIGA DOM CATHEDRAL

• Languages of publication: LV

Abstracts

EN

Very few people knew and could believe that an excellent medieval painting might be hidden beneath the dark stain above the north portal of the Riga Dom Cathedral. The ancient painting, discovered in 1891, was copied, published and then allowed to turn black again, and eventually restored in summer 2009; no photographs have come down to us. Thanks to current technological advances, it has not only been rediscovered but also complemented with previously neglected details. Although there are significant losses (the left-side composition has been washed off by rain and the right hand side had been destroyed long before 1891), the emergence of such an old artefact in Riga is a major event in Latvian art history that cannot boast of much medieval painting. The aim of this article is to focus on this important cultural fact, to test and specify the previous assumptions on the origins of the painting and single out contextual factors that have until now been disregarded. Medieval murals are a very intricate and enigmatic subject to explore, even taking into account the latest discoveries of restorers and art historians’ conclusions. The case of the Dom Cathedral painting is not an exception as medieval frescoes elsewhere in Europe have become scarce over centuries; they have faded, been destroyed, painted over, dated only approximately and little explored from the stylistic viewpoint. Over twenty years have passed since the last publications on the antechamber painting and the latest restoration has revealed important details that enable us to come to new and useful conclusions. The single surviving central scene ‘Coronation of Mary in Heaven’ is most appropriate for a detailed analysis. Decorative ornamental motifs found in lunettes are analysed too. The latest conclusions of iconography, palaeography and the history of ornament, as well as historical context, indicate that the mural had been most likely created in the 1360s-1380s.

Keywords

EN

RIGA DOM CATHEDRAL; MEDIEVAL PAINTING; MURALS; FRESCOES; CORONATION OF MARY IN HEAVEN

• Publisher: Institute of Art History of the Latvian Academy of Art and Art History Research Support Foundation
• Journal: Makslas Vesture un Teorija
• Year: 2012
• Volume: 15
• Pages: 5-14

Contributors

author

Elita Grosmane

• Institute of Art History, Latvian Academy of Art, Akademijas laukums 1-160, Riga LV-1050, Latvia