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Albertus Pictor (English, "Albert the Painter"; Immenhusen, c. 1440 – c. 1507), also called Albert Pictor, Albert Målare and Albrekt Pärlstickare (Swedish), is the most famous late medieval Swedish painter, known for his wallpaintings surviving in numerous churches in southern and central Sweden. Celebrations for the quincentenary of his death were arranged for 2009.
Albertus was originally called ''Albertus Immenhusen'', after the German town of
Albertus's illustration of
Albertus Pictor
website {{DEFAULTSORT:Pictor, Albertus 1440 births 1507 deaths 15th-century Roman Catholics 16th-century Roman Catholics People from Kassel (district) German emigrants to Sweden Swedish people of German descent Medieval Swedish painters Swedish male painters Painters from Stockholm Church frescos in Sweden 15th-century Swedish people 16th-century Swedish artists Swedish Roman Catholics Swedish embroiderers
Career
Albertus was originally called ''Albertus Immenhusen'', after the German town of Immenhausen
Immenhausen () is a town in the district of Kassel, in Hesse, Germany. It is located 12 km north of Kassel on the German Timber-Frame Road. The town has 7,098 inhabitants as of July 2020, including the northern village of Mariendorf and east ...
in Hessen
Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major historic cities are Da ...
of which he was a native. He occurs in Swedish historical sources from 1465, when he was admitted a burgher of Arboga
Arboga () is a urban areas of Sweden, locality and the seat of Arboga Municipality in Västmanland County, Sweden with 10,989 inhabitants in 2020.
Overview
The city of Arboga is known to have existed as a town since the 13th century but the are ...
. Eight years later he moved to Stockholm
Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
, where, in accordance with current practice, he took over the workshop as well as the widow of a deceased painter.
He was a versatile and prolific artist, known to his contemporaries not only for his church wallpaintings, but also as an organist and embroiderer (hence his nickname of ''Pärlstickare'', "Pearl-embroiderer"). More than thirty of his schemes, mostly in a secco technique, are extant, many in the Lake Mälaren
Mälaren ( , , or ), historically referred to as Lake Malar in English, is the third-largest freshwater lake in Sweden (after Vänern and Vättern). Its area is and its greatest depth is 64 m (210 ft). Mälaren spans from east to west. The l ...
region, about a third of which bear his signature. Notable examples include wallpaintings at Bromma kyrka, near Stockholm
Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
, Lid kyrka, in Södermanland
Södermanland ( ), locally Sörmland, sometimes referred to under its Latinisation of names, Latinized form Sudermannia or Sudermania, is a Provinces of Sweden, historical province (or ) on the south eastern coast of Sweden. It borders Östergà ...
and Täby Kyrkby kyrka in Täby
Täby () was previously a trimunicipal locality, with 76,700 inhabitants in 2024. However, as from 2016, Statistics Sweden has amalgamated this locality with the Stockholm urban area. It is the seat of Täby Municipality in Stockholm County, Sw ...
. Part of his life and work are depicted in the illustrated book, "''Albert målare och sommaren i Härkeberga''" ("Albert the Painter and the summer in Härkeberga"), which describes his painting of the small church of Härkeberga in Uppland
Uppland is a historical province or ' on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea.
The name literally ...
(see below).
Bergman inspiration
Albertus's illustration of Death
Death is the end of life; the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. Death eventually and inevitably occurs in all organisms. The remains of a former organism normally begin to decompose sh ...
playing chess
Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...
from Täby kyrka
Täby () was previously a trimunicipal locality, with 76,700 inhabitants in 2024. However, as from 2016, Statistics Sweden has amalgamated this locality with the Stockholm urban area. It is the seat of Täby Municipality in Stockholm County, Sw ...
inspired the famous scene in Ingmar Bergman
Ernst Ingmar Bergman (14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007) was a Swedish film and theatre director and screenwriter. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential film directors of all time, his films have been described as "profoun ...
's 1957 film ''The Seventh Seal
''The Seventh Seal'' () is a 1957 Swedish historical fantasy film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. Set in Sweden during the Black Death, it tells of the journey of a medieval knight (Max von Sydow) and a game of chess he plays with the p ...
'' in which a knight (Antonius Block/Max von Sydow
Max von Sydow (; born Carl Adolf von Sydow; 10 April 1929 – 8 March 2020) was a Swedish and French actor. He had a 70-year career in European and American cinema, television, and theatre, appearing in more than 150 films and several television ...
) plays chess with personified Death. Albertus Pictor himself appears as a character in the film (played by Gunnar Olsson), in a dialog with Jöns, Antonius Block's squire, while working on a church mural.
Churches with wall paintings by or attributed to Albertus Pictor
Albertus Pictor's paintings are considered preserved in 37 churches. Nine of the painting are either signed with some variant of Albertus name or the signing documented was destroyed. Other paintings ascribed to Albertus Pictor are based on attributes made by experts on the subject. Attenuation on stylistic grounds based on comparisons to those of the churches that have secure signings is difficult to determine especially when it concerns the making of the works. The ornamentation has traditionally been important for the attribution, it is, however, in greater part in the public domain and is more general in its expression and easier to copy than figure painting. A lot of them are also strong influenced by over-liming and production with subsequent restoration. Albertus Pictor's painting, however, differ so much from contemporary Swedish painters that they usually can not be attributed to the author. It is conceivable that in some cases they rather have strong influences. *Almunge
Almunge is a locality situated in Uppsala Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden with 813 inhabitants in 2010. The narrow-gauge
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) ...
(Uppland
Uppland is a historical province or ' on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic Sea.
The name literally ...
)
* Bromma
Bromma () is a Boroughs of Stockholm, borough (''stadsdelsområde'') in the western part of Stockholm, Sweden, forming part of the Stockholm Municipality. Bromma is primarily made up of Bromma Parish and Västerled Parish. The fourth largest airpo ...
(Stockholm
Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
)
* Bälinge (Uppland)
* Danmark (Uppland)
* Dingtuna (Västmanland
Västmanland ( or ) is a historical Swedish province, or , in middle Sweden. It borders Södermanland, Närke, Värmland, Dalarna and Uppland.
Västmanland means "West Man Land" or, less literally, "The Land of the Western Men", where the "we ...
)
* Ed (Uppland)
* Floda (Södermanland
Södermanland ( ), locally Sörmland, sometimes referred to under its Latinisation of names, Latinized form Sudermannia or Sudermania, is a Provinces of Sweden, historical province (or ) on the south eastern coast of Sweden. It borders Östergà ...
)
* Gryta (Uppsala
Uppsala ( ; ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the capital of Uppsala County and the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inhabitants in 2019.
Loc ...
)
* Helga Trefaldighet (Uppsala)
* Husby-Sjutolft (Uppland)
* HÃ¥bo-Tibble (Uppland)
* Härkeberga (Uppland)
* Härnevi (Uppland)
* Kalmar (Uppland)
* Kumla (Västmanland)
* Lid (Sörmland)
* Nederluleå (Norrbotten
Norrbotten (), sometimes called North Bothnia, is a Swedish province (''landskap'') in northernmost Sweden. It borders south to Västerbotten, west to Swedish Lapland, and east to Finland.
Administration
The traditional provinces of Swede ...
)
* Odensala (Uppland)
* S Per (Uppsala)
* Sala (Västmanland)
* Sollentuna (Uppland)
* Solna
Solna ( or , ), also known as Solna Municipality, is a municipality in central Stockholm County, Sweden, located just north of Stockholm City Centre. Its seat is located in the town of Solna, which is a part of the Stockholm urban area. Solna i ...
(Uppland)
* Storkyrkan
Storkyrkan (, ), also called Stockholms domkyrka (Stockholm Cathedral) and Sankt Nikolai kyrka (Church of Saint Nicholas), is the oldest church in Stockholm. Storkyrkan lies in the centre of Stockholm in Gamla stan, between Stockholm Palace and ...
(Stockholm)
* Torshälla
Torshälla () is a locality situated in Eskilstuna Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 7,612 inhabitants in 2010. It is mainly known for steel manufacturing, centered on the Nyby Bruk steel mill, and also for its historic old town ce ...
(Södermanland
Södermanland ( ), locally Sörmland, sometimes referred to under its Latinisation of names, Latinized form Sudermannia or Sudermania, is a Provinces of Sweden, historical province (or ) on the south eastern coast of Sweden. It borders Östergà ...
)
* Täby
Täby () was previously a trimunicipal locality, with 76,700 inhabitants in 2024. However, as from 2016, Statistics Sweden has amalgamated this locality with the Stockholm urban area. It is the seat of Täby Municipality in Stockholm County, Sw ...
(Uppland)
* Uppsala Cathedral
Uppsala Cathedral () is a cathedral located between the University Hall (Uppsala University), University Hall of Uppsala University and the Fyris river in the centre of Uppsala, Sweden. A church of the Church of Sweden, the national church, in t ...
(Uppland)
* Vadsbro (Södermanland)
* Vaksala (Uppland)
* Vansö (Sörmland)
* Vittinge (Uppland)
* Vårdinge (Södermanland)
* Vänge
Vänge, previously known as Brunna, is a locality situated west of Uppsala in Uppsala Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsul ...
(Uppland)
* Västerås Cathedral
Västerås Cathedral (Swedish: ''Västerås domkyrka'') is the seat of the Diocese of Västerås in the Province of Västmanland, Sweden. The church building is a five-aisled hall church, with copper-covered roof and a single west tower with si ...
(Västmanland)
* Yttergran (Uppland)
* Ösmo (Sörmland)
* Österunda (Uppland)
* Övergran (Uppland)
See also
*Church frescos in Sweden
Church murals or church wall paintings are mostly medieval paintings found in several Swedish churches. They usually adorn the vaults or walls of the buildings. In Swedish they are sometimes referred to as ''kalkmålningar'', literally "lime ...
References
* *External links
*Albertus Pictor
website {{DEFAULTSORT:Pictor, Albertus 1440 births 1507 deaths 15th-century Roman Catholics 16th-century Roman Catholics People from Kassel (district) German emigrants to Sweden Swedish people of German descent Medieval Swedish painters Swedish male painters Painters from Stockholm Church frescos in Sweden 15th-century Swedish people 16th-century Swedish artists Swedish Roman Catholics Swedish embroiderers