Árbók Hins íslenzka fornleifafélags - 01.01.1985, Qupperneq 123

SKRÁ UM ENSKAR ALABASTURSMYNDIR FRÁ MIÐÖLDUM
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Documentary evidence
Thc documcnts which are chicfly used to date thc English alabaster works from Iceland
are church invcntarics frorn thc 15th and 16th ccnturics as wcll as custont rcports and
priests’ reports to the Danish Archaeological Commission from 1817-1823. According to
thösc sources 79 rctables and imagincs of alabaster arc rcportcd froni 43 diffcrcnt
churches. Fourtccn alabastcr works arc prcscrvcd from Iccland (onc from an unknown
church) but only scvcn of thcsc arc documcnted in church invcntarics.
A. English custom reports: Documcntary evidencc of an import of alabastcrs is vcry frag-
mcnted. Only two custom reports from 1492 and anothcr froni 1514 mcntion „imagincs”
which could bc alabastcrs. In the first rcport which cnlists a cargo from Ipswich it mcn-
tions: „Itcm pro una ymagine val. vi s. viii d.“ and thc othcr from King’s Lynn: „Et pro
iiibus ymagis val. v s.“.
B. Church inventaries: Documcntary evidcncc of alabastcr carvings in Icclandic churches
can bc found in church inventaries frorn about 1400-1550. Many alabasters havc accord-
ing to thcm bccn in Icclandic churchcs; in all 15 diffcrcnt „bríkur" (rctablcs) and 61 „líkn-
cski“ and „skriftir” (imagincs) arc reported in 40 churches (scc enlisted abovc). Thcsc
invcntarics both documcnt a „Maríuskrift" (Mary rclicf) and a „Maríulíkneski" (a Mary
imagine), but ncvcr a „Maríubrík" (a Mary rctablc). Both thc words „líkneski" and
„skrift" scem to dcscribc paintcd and carvcd rclicfs.
Thcre are mcntioncd statucs of c.g. Mary, St. John, St. Thomas, St. Annc, St. An-
thony, St. Olav, St. Andrcw and carvings of thc Blcssed Trinity and thc hcad of St. John
the Baptist. It is difficult to know how many alabaster carvings were importcd in addition
to what is documcntcd. Undoubtcdly wc arc talking of a vast numbcr of panels, c.g.
thosc which arc not catalogucd as alabastcr carvings in thc church invcntarics and carvings
privatcly owncd. But it is intcrcsting to notc how many alabastcrs wcrc donatcd to thc
churchcs by individuals.
Only altar-picccs showing thc Joys of thc Virgin Mary and thc Passion of Christ havc
bcen prescrved besidcs spccial pancls of thc Blesscd Trinity from Sclárdalur (catal. no.
12), which is in a painted woodcn housing, and anothcr from Hvamntur in Norðurár-
dalur (catal. no. 4). But no spccial statucs of saints or rctablcs illustrating thcir lives havc
survivcd. This suggcsts that their dcstruction was nrorc common rclativc to othcr
alabastcr works although littlc documcntary cvidcncc cxists to provc tliis.
Thc earlicst cvidcncc of alabastcr is in Bishop Pctur Nikulásson’s invcntaries for thc
Hólar bishopric from 1394. In it arc mentioncd four alabastcrs frorn thrcc churchcs. Thrcc
of thcsc alabastcrs arc docunrented bcforc thc English bcgan their rcgular sailings to Icc-
land. Thc same can bc said of Bishop Vilchin’s inventarics for thc Skálholt bishopric
documcntcd in 1397 which rcport nine diffcrcnt alabastcrs.
Unfortunatcly many inventary lists arc lost from bishop Ólafur Rögnvaldsson’s invcnt-
arics for thc Hólar bishopric from the latc 15th ccntury c.g. for thc cathcdral of Hólar,
and thc monastcrics of Pingcyrar and Rcynistaður.
C. Reports to the Danish Archaeological Commission 1817-1823: In reports from pricsts to
thc Danish Archaeological Commission 1817-1823 clcvcn works of alabasters arc docu-
rncntcd in nine churchcs of which only threc arc in churchcs whcrc alabastcrs arc not
mcntioncd in their inventarics (scc cnlistcd abovc). Thcy arc Þingmúli, Vallancs and Scl-
árdalur. Thc Trinity carving from Sclárdalur is prcscrvcd but thc head of St. John thc
Baptist from Vallanes is illustrated in Paul Gaimard’s book, Voyage en Islande, wherc it
is wrongly bclicvcd to be Eccc homo. Iconographically it datcs to bcforc 1450. Nothing
is known of thc alabastcr carving from Þingmúli.