The Dilemmas of the Medieval Sculptor

What is it about?

Chapter 3 of “Sacred Medieval Objects and Their Afterlives in Scandinavia” centres on Christian sculptors and the tricky nature of their craft. Throughout the medieval period, sculptors across Europe created three-dimensional images of the Virgin, Christ and cherished saints, despite problematic traditions behind creating a human likeness with the aim that it could be worshipped. The chapter starts with an overview of sources that describe prohibitions on the creation of icons, then turns to theological debates and positions that eventually allowed craftspeople, especially those working in the far north, to justify their efforts.

Featured Image

Photo by Philip Swinburn on Unsplash

Photo by Philip Swinburn on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This work gives special attention to the situation for sculptors in Iceland and Norway, to consider the stigmas, unavoidable dilemmas and attitudes to image-making. By the sixteenth century, attitudes had changed so dramatically that negative associations attached to sculptors and sculptures had all but disappeared.