Granit, sandsten, kalksten og klæbersten. Danske romanske døbefonte på rejse

Abstract

Title: Granite, Sandstone, Limestone and Soapstone. Danish Romanesque Baptismal Fonts and their TravelsIn Denmark Medieval baptismal fonts are mostly hewn in granite from erratic blocks and mainly form small groups originating from different “workshops”. However, some of the fonts were imported from Bentheim (Western Germany), Tournai (Belgium) and Southern Norway. A more substantial number came from the Baltic island of Gotland in Sweden. In Denmark baptismal fonts have sometimes been moved over considerable distances, mostly from Scania (part of medieval Denmark) to Zealand and even to Western Jutland. This paper discusses how and why such transport was organized. The rather extensive Scanian production of sandstone fonts seems to represent a general European tendency towards standardized mass production. This eventually led to a concentration of font manufacturing on 13th century Gotland, where suitable limestone was easily accessible and the products could be exported along established overseas traderoutes.