Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Sankt Göran färdig?

1932; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 1; Issue: 1-4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/00233603208603138

1651-2294

Johnny Roosval,

Building materials and conservation

Summary St. George settled?. The restauration of the St. George's statuary group in Storkyrkan (Great Church) of Stockholm, the famous masterpiece of Bernt Notke, was begun in 1914 and is now finished. It has been impossible to reconstruct the group in every detail according to the results of the scientific researches. The author, Professor J. Roosval, who in collaboration with the architect, Mr Fant, has supervised the reconstruction, here gives a brief account of the compromises, which were found necessary during the work. He also pays his compliments to the conservator, Mr Alfred Nilsson, for his magnificent achievement in preserving the original polychromy, and to the parish of Storkyrkan, which always has shown a large, also economic interest in their great monument. 1) The base has been made lower than originally, because the present room is not so large as the original. 2) The endsurfaces of the base are decorated with two coals of arms which, even if they originally belonged to the statue, were certainly placed otherwise. We may suppose that the design of the ends once was more strongly articulated than at present. 3) In the corners and on the sides of the base are now massive pillars instead of, as originally, turrets with statuettes. 4) Small architectural features have originally adorned the border above the relief on the base. It has however been impossible to make a true reconstruction of these. 5) The princess and the castle are now put one above the other, though they originally, as has been proved, were separated. There was not enough space to make a true reconstruction. 6) The statue of St. George and the dragon originally was placed in a choirchapel, that in the 16th century was cut off from the church and demolished (fig. 3). The author expresses his wish that this part of the church may be rebuilt. Only in such a room would St. George get space and light befitting its incomparable splendour.