Árbók Hins íslenzka fornleifafélags - 01.01.2009, Page 42

ÁGRIP AF SÖGU MINNINGARMARKA OG STEINSMÍÐI Á ÍSLANDI 41
Summary
In this article the author discusses the history and development of Icelandic stone
masonry as well as sepulchral art and traditions. Stone masonry has always been practised
in Iceland, the main product being grinding stones for domestic use. Unlike the other
Nordic countries there are no proper rune stones in Iceland (bautasteinar), from the
Age of Settlement nor the period of the Icelandic Commonwealth. The oldest preserved
rune stone in Iceland is a headstone dating from ca. 1380. One of the most noteworthy
Icelandic antiques is the stone sarcophagus of bishop Páll Jónsson of Skálholt (1155-
1211), carved from tuff, the sarcophagus and lid are made out of a single slab each. In
the period from the 14th through the 19th centuries, most Icelandic headstones were f lat
and lying on the graves; and headstones made out of polygonal, columnar basalt were
also common. The early 17th century saw the introduction of Baroque style in Icelandic
sepulchral art. The most renowned maker of gravestones in that period was Guðmundur
Guðmundsson, usually referred to as being from the farm of Bjarnastaðahlíð. Imported
gravestones are known from the 16th century onwards, most commonly in the 17th
and 18th centuries. A class of trained Icelandic stone masons emerged during the
latter part of the 19th century. In the same period neoclassical inf luences changed the
shape of the Icelandic gravestones; and instead of lying f lat on the graves, headstones
standing upright became the norm. In the 1930s-1940s masonry work in Iceland became
mechanized. Thus the work became physically easier, but individually finished and
chiseled ornamentation disappear from the Icelandic sepulchral art.