23 January 2023
As part of a detailed introduction to the post-Reformation church topography of Norway, approximately 140 epitaphs preserved in all parts of Norway from the period 1550 to 1700 are documented with illustrations, descriptions, and brief biographies.
In addition to numerous illustrations of the works, the volume contains transcriptions of all inscriptions as well as their translation into English.
The epitaph genre was particularly popular in post-Reformation Lutheranism (unlike in the Reformed areas of Europe) – this was also the case in Norway. The stock of remaining epitaphs here is manageable, and also offers exciting variations in terms of the delimitation of this genre.
In addition to a comprehensive introduction to the cultural, social and geographical context of the epitaphs, the volume offers a detailed insight into the (self-)representation of the elites who commissioned these epitaphs. It also names the most important artists who were entrusted with the production of the epitaphs in Norway.
The main part of the volume is a detailed presentation of the received epitaphs in Norway’s four early modern bishoprics. An attemt is made to pay attention to the pictorial motifs as well as the inscriptions and biographical research – and to make all this valuable for interpretations.
Authors: Arne Bugge Amundsen, Tarald Rasmussen, Hallgeir Elstad.
