In her final thesis for her Master’s degree in Conservation and Restoration Science at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Hildesheim/Holzminden/Göttingen (HAWK), Milena Del Duca dealt with two important late medieval art objects: Two bishop sculptures by the Hildesheim sculptor Benedikt-Meister
Director of the Cathedral Museum
Master's student Milena Del Duca explains her findings to Dr. Monika Höhl, Director of the Cathedral Museum, and Dr. Stefan Bölke, Custodian at the Roemer and Pelizaeus Museum. Photo: HAWK
Result of the technical barrel tests
A Hildesheim carver with the notorious name Benedikt-Meister created two bishop sculptures around 1520. The limewood sculptures have a largely unknown history behind them. They probably originally belonged to a late medieval altar retable. However, there is only written evidence of the two sculptures from the 18th century.
The first photographs of the two sculptures date from 1934, but the story remains incomplete even in the 20th century. In 2019, the Cathedral Museum, together with the Roemer and Pelizaeus Museum, bought these two sculptures at auction because they belonged to the Hildesheim Kunstraum and now needed a precise art-technological investigation into the question of the original, medieval coloration and, in addition, an account of the history of the barrel reworking and a clarification of the present appearance.
Milena Del Duca took up these questions and examined the two bishop sculptures in her Master’s thesis, which was supervised by Professor Ursula Schädler-Saub and qualified conservator Ina Birkenbeul, head of the conservation workshop for painted wooden objects/paintings.
The bishop sculptures after securing and cleaning. Photo: HAWK
With the help of extensive technical examinations of the frames, Milena Del Duca came to the conclusion that the current appearance of the two bishops is the result of an artisanal imitation of an aged, medieval-looking frame from the second half of the 20th century. Only the tiniest remains of the first version can be found, which are not sufficient for a reconstruction of the original appearance. Nevertheless, the investigations were helpful for both museums, as the diverse observations on the working technique, i.e. the processing of the wood, the corresponding tools, the choice of wood and the treatment of the wooden surfaces will be extremely helpful for future research into the work of the Benedict Master. In addition, the student has secured and cleaned the surfaces of the two bishop sculptures.