Kvinnofigur å dopfunten i Tryde kyrka, Fataburen 1908

Majestatis ( la, Magister Majestatis Domini, ''The Master of

Christ in Majesty Christ in Majesty or Christ in Glory ( la, Maiestas Domini) is the Western Christian image of Christ seated on a throne as ruler of the world, always seen frontally in the centre of the composition, and often flanked by other sacred figures, whos ...

'', usually shortened to Majestatis and sometimes referred to as the Tryde Master, fl. second half of the 12th century) was a Romanesque stone sculptor and the creator of several richly decorated baptismal fonts mainly in

Scania Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conterminous with Skåne ...

and on Gotland (present-day Sweden).

Life and works

The name ''Majestatis'' is a

notname In art history, a ''Notname'' (, "necessity-name" or "contingency-name") is an invented name given to an artist whose identity has been lost. The practice arose from the need to give such artists and their typically untitled, or generically title ...

assigned to the artist or workshop; it is possible that an atelier rather than a single artist was responsible for the works attributed to Majestatis. Art historian

Johnny Roosval John (Johnny) August Emanuel Roosval (29 August 1879 – 18 October 1965) was a Swedish art historian, Medieval ecclesiastical art specialist, and university professor. Biography Johnny Roosval was born in a bourgeois family in Kalmar, but grew ...

coined the name in the 20th century. It derives from a subject often used by the artist,

sitting on a

rainbow A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...

and surrounded by a

mandorla A mandorla is an almond-shaped aureola, i.e. a frame that surrounds the totality of an iconographic figure. It is usually synonymous with '' vesica'', a lens shape. Mandorlas often surround the figures of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary in tr ...

and

angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inclu ...

s. No written sources exist about the life or background of the artist, but it has been speculated that Majestatis was trained in Burgundy or

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

or may have come from there. Majestatis initially seems to have worked in Scania, probably for the local

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The character ...

and possibly the (at the time

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

) royal family. Majestatis appears to have worked at the construction site of

Lund Cathedral Lund Cathedral ( sv, Lunds domkyrka) is a cathedral of the Lutheran Church of Sweden in Lund, Scania, Sweden. It is the seat of the Bishop of Lund and the main church of the Diocese of Lund. It was built as the Catholic cathedral of the archiepi ...

. Later Majestatis seems to have moved to Gotland. The chef d'oeuvre of Majestatis is the baptismal font of the church of Tryde, Scania, Sweden. The sculptures probably depict, apart from a scene with Christ in Majesty, the legend of St. Stanislaw. It is probable that the motive has some connection to, and the font may even have been commissioned by, the then reigning queen of Denmark (as Scania was then a part of Denmark), queen Sophia, spouse of

Valdemar I of Denmark Valdemar I (14 January 1131 – 12 May 1182), also known as Valdemar the Great ( da, Valdemar den Store), was King of Denmark from 1154 until his death in 1182. The reign of King Valdemar I saw the rise of Denmark, which reached its medieval zen ...

. Sophia had Polish ancestors and not least for that reason the creation of the font has been connected with the royal family. Another theory is that the carvings on the font depict the legend of Saint Fridolin. The font from Tryde was displayed at the International Exposition of 1867 in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, and awarded a bronze medal. Majestatis made an additional four or possibly five baptismal fonts for churches in Scania; these were probably all made for local noblemen as they display a high degree of refinement. This group of fonts include the fonts in Löderup, Östra Hoby, Valleberga and

Simris Simris is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality situated in Simrishamn Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 211 inhabitants in 2010. References

Populated places in Skåne County Populated places in Simrishamn Municipality {{Skåne-g ...

churches, and possibly Östra Nöbbelöv. They are all located in the south-eastern part of the province. The baptismal fonts and other stone sculpture identified to be by Majestatis on Gotland island are of a later date than those in Scania. Perhaps the best of the sculptor's works on Gotland is the northern portal of

Hablingbo Church Hablingbo Church ( sv, Hablingbo kyrka) is a medieval church in Hablingbo on the Swedish island of Gotland. It is one of the largest churches on Gotland, and dating largely from the 14th century, although the current church building was preceded b ...

. Other works include baptismal fonts in

Lokrume Lokrume () is a populated area, a ''socken'' (not to be confused with parish), on the Swedish island of Gotland. It comprises the same area as the administrative Lokrume District, established on 1January 2016. Geography Lokrume is the name of ...

, Vall, Sproge, Stenkyrka,

Väskinde Väskinde () is a locality on the Swedish island of Gotland. Väskinde is also the name of the larger populated area, ''socken'' (not to be confused with parish). It comprises the same area as the administrative Väskinde District, established o ...

and Gerum churches, as well as a few others, for example in Denmark and

Hälsingland Hälsingland (), sometimes referred to as Helsingia in English, is a historical province or ''landskap'' in central Sweden. It borders Gästrikland, Dalarna, Härjedalen, Medelpad and the Gulf of Bothnia. It is part of the land of Norrland. ...

, Sweden. Stylistically, Majestatis is recognisable through his elongated figures with well-kept, often braided hair, pear-shaped faces and large, rather pointed, oval eyes. The sculptor is known for the profusely adorned, but not overdecorated, baptismal fonts.

Gallery

File:Nordenskirker Trydez06.jpg, Font in Tryde Church, Scania File:Majestatis, Dopfunten i Löderups kyrka, Skåne; förm. 1100-talets tredje fjärdedel.jpg, Font in Löderup Church, Scania File:Valleberga church baptismal font.jpg, Font in Valleberga Church, Scania File:Ostra Hoby baptismal font.jpg, Font in Östra Hoby Church, Scania File:Vall7.jpg, Font in Vall Church, Gotland File:Hablingbo-kyrka-Gotland-Portal-01.jpg, North portal of Hablingbo Church, Gotland

References

External links

*{{commons category-inline, Majestatis Romanesque artists Medieval sculptors

Life and works

Gallery

See also

References

External links