Death playing chess by Albertus Pictor. Täby kyrka, Diocese of Stockholm.

Dancing peasants by Albertus Pictor, Härkeberga kyrka, Uppland, c. 1480.

Albertus Pictor (English, "Albert the Painter"; b. Immenhusen, c. 1440 - d. 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.

[edit] Career

Albertus was originally called Albertus Immenhusen, after the German town of Immenhausen in Hessen of which he was a native. He occurs in Swedish historical sources from 1465, when he was admitted a burgher of Arboga. Eight years later he moved to Stockholm, 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 region, about a third of which bear his signature. Notable examples include wallpaintings at Bromma kyrka, near Stockholm, Lid kyrka, in Södermanland and Täby Kyrkby kyrka in Täby. 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 (see below).

Celebrations for the quincentenary of his death are arranged for 2009.

[edit] Influence

Albertus's illustration of Death playing chess from Täby kyrka inspired the famous scene in Ingmar Bergman's 1957 film The Seventh Seal, in which a knight (Antonius Block) 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.

[edit] Churches with wallpaintings by or attributed to Albertus Pictor

• Almunge (Uppland)
• Bromma (Stockholm)
• Bälinge (Uppland)
• Danmark (Uppland)
• Dingtuna (Västmanland)
• Ed (Uppland)
• Floda (Sörmland)
• Helga Trefaldighet (Uppsala)
• Husby-Sjutolft (Uppland)
• Håbo-Tibble (Uppland)
• Härkeberga (Uppland)
• Härnevi (Uppland)
• Kalmar (Uppland)
• Kumla (Västmanland)
• Lid (Sörmland)
• Nederluleå (Norrbotten)
• Odensala (Uppland)
• S Per (Uppsala)
• Sala (Västmanland)
• Sollentuna (Uppland)
• Solna (Uppland)
• Storkyrkan (Stockholm)
• Torshälla (Sörmland)
• Täby (Uppland)
• Uppsala domkyrka (Uppland)
• Vadsbro (Sörmland)
• Vaksala (Uppland)
• Vansö (Sörmland)
• Vittinge (Uppland)
• Vårdinge (Sörmland)
• Vänge (Uppland)
• Västerås domkyrka (Västmanland)
• Yttergran (Uppland)
• Ösmo (Sörmland)
• Österunda (Uppland)
• Övergran (Uppland)

[edit] References

Melin, Pia (2007), Fåfängans förgänglighet (Vanishing Vanity: Allegory as Speculum in Paintings by Albertus Pictor), ISBN 917031-178-1, http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-1404 

Hulth, Sonja (Illustrations: Fibben Hald) (1998), Albert Målare och sommaren i Härkeberga ("Albert the Painter and the summer in Härkeberga") Rabén&Sjögren, ISBN 9129645018 

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Albertus Pictor

• http://www.albertuspictor.com