Elmelunde Master

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The vaulted ceiling of the church in Elmelunde
A closer look at the frescoes of the Elmelunde master

The Elmelunde Master was a painter not known by name who left behind famous and impressive frescoes far beyond Møn's borders on the Danish island of Møn in the churches of Elmelunde, Keldby and Fanefjord around 1450 . The frescoes in the churches of Tingsted, Nørre Alslev and Aastrup on the Danish island of Falster and in the church of Kettinge on the Danish island of Lolland are also attributed to the Elmelunde master (or his school).

In 1885, during the restoration of the church in Elmelunde, Møn's oldest country church, frescoes were discovered that had obviously been whitewashed after the Reformation. Because of their discovery, the unknown artist was called Elmelunde Master . The fact that the frescoes in the two other churches also come from him or his journeymen is made clear by the repeated marking on the handicraft coat of arms.

The naive pictures are kept in warm natural colors. They illustrate everyday farmer life and depict stylized Christian situations, faces and movements do not illustrate any particular facial expressions and gestures.

For the congregation, which at that time could neither read nor write, but was able to interpret scenes depicted in the Bible, this picture Bible was probably also a “guide” for special everyday situations. In the Fanefjord church, for example, a scene is shown in which two women together sit on a bench and gossip , that is, talk about another person. The devil is standing next to it and jotting down the details.

The Elmelunde master realized scenes of paradise and hell just as skilfully as he knew how to relate biblical stories. Mythological representations such as the unicorn also appear .

See also

literature

  • Danmarks smukkeste Ø Møn (German: The most beautiful island in Denmark: Møn), Møn Turistbureau 2005
  • Møn 2005, Oldest and Troubled Turistblad for Møn, Bøgø and Nyord , 2005
  • Fanefjord Church History , Fanefjord City Council (ed.)
  • Dey, Reinhold: Denmark. Cologne [1978] 6th edition 1989. (DuMont Art Travel Guide), p. 199 Fig. 75, inside flap

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Niels M. Saxtorph: Danmarks Kalkmalerier. Politics Forlag, 1986, pp. 23-24.
personal data
SURNAME Elmelunde Master
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Danish painter
DATE OF BIRTH before 1450
DATE OF DEATH 15th century