A medieval barrel vault ceiling revisited: preservation, materiality and visual communication
For more than 120 years, the painted barrel vault ceiling from Ål Stave Church (demolished in 1880) has been on permanent display in the Historical Museum. The vault, which is richly decorated with 23 painted scenes from both the New and Old Testament, was originally part of a fully decorated choir. Preserved wall boards have doomsday motifs and unidentified saints. With its well-conserved biblical scenes and sizeable dimensions, it is a unique monument from the latter part of the thirteenth century in Norway.
Eucharist scene on the western lunette of the barrel vault. Photo: Eirik Irgens Johnsen/UiO, KHM.
It is time for a new survey of the original construction, current mounting, and the condition of the painting. Changes in the ground conditions around the museum mean that in the long term it may be necessary to take the ceiling down to avoid damage from vibration and movements. In that case, our investigations will be crucial for this work to be performed causing damaging to the tunnel vault ceiling and its fragile painted surfaces.
The ceilings unique conservation history makes it necessary to re-examine the painting. It is based on a water-soluble medium but was consolidated with the soluble nylon product Maranyl in 1965. Though considered ground-breaking, this new synthetic adhesive soon proved to become insoluble, discolour and remain sticky over time. These are properties incompatible with the strict requirements set for the materials used for the preservation of our cultural heritage. We therefore need to evaluate the condition of the vault and seek possible measures for its future conservation.
We will collect information and experiences from other museums that have preserved objects with Soluble Nylon. Preserved interior decorations made in water-based media and wall tiles from Ål stave church that are treated with other methods are important reference materials.
The crucifixion scene on the eastern lunette of the barrel vault. Photo: Eirik Irgens Johnsen/UiO, KHM.
Results from advanced and improved analysis methods linked with new visual observations and ways of documenting the ceilings condition and painterly design will provide new answers to the medieval construction, the painter’s palette and its application. The aim is to better understand the impact of the breakdown of the materials over time and previous treatments, as well as its influence on the reading of the colours and their visual expressions.
We are currently working on the documentation of the construction and preservation state of the ceiling and its painting. 3D scanning and photogrammetry has been performed as part of the documentation.
We are collaborating with the Norwegian institute for Cultural Research, National Trust of Norway, Craft laboratory University of Gothenburg, Melbourne University Australia and Courtauld Institute UK.
Ål stave church by Georg Bull, 1855. Source: Kulturminner.no.
We have been given the means to scan the barrel vault in 3D from the project Ui3D. This will, for the first time, give us exact data on the measurements and surface structures. This will create the basis for a new mapping of the construction, documentation of the materials, painting techniques and its current preservation state.
Articles
Kaja Kollandsrud og Linn Solheim "A New Look at the Thirteenth Century Painted Vault from Ål Stave Church – its Nature, Conservation and Future Care". Bridging the Gap: Synergies Between Art History and Conservation. London: Archetype publications (2024), 165-76.
Kollandsrud, K. 2025. "Whiter than Snow – the Medieval Painter’s Methods to Signal the Brightness that Characterise the Holy through Gleaming White and Ruddy Flesh." In Die Romanische Bildertür in St. Maria im Kapitol: Neue Forschungen zu Kunsttechnologie und Kontext, edi.Regina Urbanek, Cologne: Kunstverlag Josef Fink, 275–83.
Kaja Kollandsrud. To be published Desember 17th 2026. "The ultimate white and Christ Incarnate in Medieval Church Art." In Deep White: Unsettling White in Western Art History and Aesthetics. Ed. Ingrid Halland. Brill.
Poster
Our work on documenting the ceiling was presented with a poster on NTNU Colourlabs symposium: Colour & Visual Computing Symposium 13th Edition, 24–25. September 2026, Gjøvik, Norge: Alexis Pantos, Kaja Kollandsrud, Bjarte Aarseth, Anne Ørnhøi and Linn Solheim: Documenting a Monumental Distemper Painting in 3D: The Medieval Tunnel-Vaulted Ceiling that once Crowned the Choir of Ål Stave Church, Hallingdal in Norway.
Talks
Kaja Kollandsrud contributed a talk on "Åltaket fremkalt. Preliminære tanker om presentasjon, organisering og fargenes bidrag til historiefortellingen" on a two day seminar in Historiska museet, Stockholm, Sweden 16.–17. Oktober 2025.
Kaja Kollandsrud contributed with a talk on "The Characteristics of the Distemper Painted Barrel Vault from the Late Thirteenth Century Choir of the Lost Stave Church from Ål, Norway" in research seminar with workshop: "European Painting Techniques on Wood in the Period 1200-1400: Evidence Based Reconstruction According to the Södra Råda Method", Mariestad, University of Gothenburg, Sweden 27–28. November 2023.
