Domenico Juul Erdmann (March 23, 1879 – October 5, 1940) was a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

painter, designer, decorator, and conservation adviser. He was a technical consultant and executive conservator in a number of Norwegian churches.Tore Kirkholt
''Store norske leksikon'': Domenico Juul Erdmann
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Biography

Erdmann was born in

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

, Norway. He was the son of Hansine Cathrine Landi (1850–1915) and Hans Johan Johannesen (1851–1932). His father was a sculptor and drawing teacher. He was a student of painter Oscar Matthiesen (1861–1957) from 1896. He as a conservator at

Viborg Cathedral , image = Viborg Cathedral June 2012.jpg , imagesize = 250px , caption = , pushpin map = Denmark , pushpin label position = , pushpin map alt = , pushpin mapsize = , ...

when

Joakim Skovgaard Joakim Frederik Skovgaard (18 November 1856 – 9 March 1933) was a Danish painter. He is remembered above all for the frescos which decorate Viborg Cathedral. Biography Born in Copenhagen, from an early age he was trained in drawing and paintin ...

(1856–1933) started his fresco work at

Viborg Cathedral , image = Viborg Cathedral June 2012.jpg , imagesize = 250px , caption = , pushpin map = Denmark , pushpin label position = , pushpin map alt = , pushpin mapsize = , ...

. Erdmann followed Matthiesen to

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

and

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

and also visited France and Italy where he learned fresco techniques, decorative painting, and church restoration. After he returned to Norway in 1903, he worked together with

Eilif Peterssen Hjalmar Eilif Emanuel Peterssen (4 September 1852 – 29 December 1928) was a Norwegian painter. He is most commonly associated with his landscapes and portraits. Biography Hjalmar Eilif Emanuel Peterssen was born in Christiania, now Osl ...

(1852–1928) on the decoration of

Ullern Church Ullern Church ( no, Ullern kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Sør-Odal Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the village of Ullern, Innlandet, Ullern. It is the church for the Ullern parish which is part of ...

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

. Erdmann studied church restoration in Denmark in 1912, and was made a conservation adviser in 1919. He also worked as a decorator and designer with architect

Arnstein Arneberg Arnstein Rynning Arneberg (6 July 1882 – 9 June 1961) was a Norwegian architect. He was active professionally for 50 years and is often considered the leading architect in Norway of his time. Personal life Arnstein Rynning Arneberg was b ...

(1882–1961). He performed design work for O. Mustad & Søn in Kristiania (now Oslo) from 1916 to 1921. In 1912, he received an assignment from the

Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments ( no, Fortidsminneforeningen) is an organization focused on conservation preservation in Norway. The Society was founded in 1844. The founders were painters, historians, art historians ...

(''Fortidsminneforeningen'') for the investigation and restoration of historic Norwegian church interiors. Erdmann won the open competition for the logo for the

Norwegian Institute of Technology The Norwegian Institute of Technology (Norwegian: ''Norges tekniske høgskole'', NTH) was a science institute in Trondheim, Norway. It was established in 1910, and existed as an independent technical university for 58 years, after which it was m ...

in 1912. The logo was used until the establishment of the

Norwegian University of Science and Technology Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

in 1996. Erdmann was responsible for decorations in the Norwegian Seamen's Church in Rotterdam (1914). The church interior with wall paintings, altar frame, and baptismal font were designed by Erdmann. Erdmann also oversaw a complete restoration of Herregården Manor in Larvik (1920–1929). Erdmann's book ''Norsk dekorativ maling fra reformasjonen til romantikken'' (1940) describes his experiences with restoration in many Norwegian churches, including

Stavern Church Stavern is a small water-side town in Larvik municipality in Vestfold County, Norway. It is south of the city of Larvik. Currently there are around 3,000 inhabitants in Stavern. It is a small town where tourism is one of the most important sour ...

Røldal Stave Church Røldal Stave Church ( no, Røldal stavkyrkje) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Ullensvang Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Røldal. It is the church for the Røldal parish which is part of the ...

, Skjeberg Church,

Fluberg Church Fluberg Church ( no, Fluberg kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Søndre Land Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the village of Fluberg. It is one of the churches for the Fluberg parish which is part of t ...

, and Drøbak Church, as well as the manor in

Larvik Larvik () is a List of cities in Norway, town and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestfold in Vestfold og Telemark Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Larvik. The municipality ...

(''Herregården i Larvik'') and the

Norwegian Military Academy The Norwegian Military Academy (), in Oslo, educates officers of the Norwegian Army and serves as the King's Royal Guard. The academy was established in 1750, and is the oldest institution for higher education in Norway. History The Commander- ...

Published works

* ''Fredriksverns kirke og kirkegaard. Fredriksvern'' (Fredriksvern, 1926) * ''Norsk dekorativ maling fra reformasjonen til romantikken'' (Oslo, 1940)

References

External links

Portfolio of restoration works by Domenico Erdmann
{{DEFAULTSORT:Erdmann, Domenico Juul 1879 births 1940 deaths Artists from Bergen Norwegian expatriates in Denmark Norwegian designers Interior designers Industrial designers Logo designers Historical preservationists 19th-century Norwegian painters 20th-century Norwegian painters Norwegian male painters 19th-century Norwegian male artists 20th-century Norwegian male artists