The database is a result of the German-Czech research project “Late medieval art in the Ore Mountains mining region”. The project is dedicated to the research of sacred art in the period from about 1450 to 1550 against the common economic and cultural historical background. In doing so, the parts of the Saxon and Bohemian Ore Mountains region that belong together in this respect will be considered. The aim is to deepen the specialist knowledge of late medieval art in the Ore Mountains in a German-Czech dialogue and to strengthen the cross-border networks of art history, conservation of art, monument preservation and museum work.
Project partners are the regional authority Ústi |Referat Kultur und Denkmalpflege, the Regional Museum and Gallery in Most and the Dresden University of Fine Arts (HfBK Dresden). With the conservation and restoration of selected works of art in Bohemia as well as the extensive art-scientific and conservation-related recording of the inventory in the Saxon Ore Mountains, the project makes a practical contribution to the preservation of the rich cultural heritage. The project, which will run from 2018 to 2021, is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the cooperation programme “Free State of Saxony – Czech Republic 2014 to 2020”.
The records provide a necessary basis for future scientific research and form the prerequisite for sustainable monument preservation. The comparative evaluation of systematic art-technological and art-historical investigations and surveys provides, among other things, insights into medieval art production, including its economic interdependencies, artistic exchange and workshop traditions. The long-term goal is the creation of a comprehensive corpus of late medieval woodcarvings and panel paintings in Saxony.
The investigations and data collection will be carried out in situ at the current location of the objects according to a collection system developed in the project from an art technological and art historical perspective. Included is an extensive review and evaluation of relevant secondary literature and primary sources. This includes reports, chronicles, documents, church and accounting books etc. in the respective archives, as far as they are accessible. Initially, basic data on object identification and object history will be collected. This is followed by detailed descriptions, iconographic classifications and information on the function and use of the works of art. A further focus is the investigation of art technology, i.e. the production technique of the picture carrier and the colour design including the materials and techniques used. Subsequent changes to the works of art are documented, as is the current state of preservation. Based on the preceding investigations, the art historical classification and dating is carried out. Comparative stylistic analyses, questions about the commissioners and the original location of the works of art will provide information about the respective work of art in the context of its time of origin. The recordings are based on non-destructive, visual examinations of the objects and can be supplemented by further methods (microscopy; imaging techniques: UV, IR, X-ray; sampling; material analyses etc.). The results are documented in writing and photographically. For the administration of the object data and comparative analysis, the data collected are entered into the project’s internal research database arsligni.org. This database will be established and continuously expanded within the project.
To view all contents of the research database an accreditation is necessary. Due to copyright reasons as well as data protection, most of the object-related data can only be made available in the password-protected staff area. Colleagues of experts are cordially invited to participate in the scientific discourse within the access-protected working area. In order to view all contents, please apply for registration with the project management.