Eesti Teadusinfosüsteem

The main objective of the project is to conduct the research of Bernt Notke’s retable of the Church of the Holy Spirit, one of Estonia’s most prominent works of art, thereby broadening the knowledge of the context, use of materials, techniques and subsequent alterations made during the process of its creation. The general state and the damage will be documented and they will form the basis for conserving the retable. The innovative presentation of the collected information will contribute to a wider acknowledgement of this work of art in Estonia and abroad. Activities: *The research of creative practices and techniques and use of materials in the Baltic area in the late medieval era with the joint efforts of various (research) institutions in the name of a common goal – the appreciation of cultural heritage; *The presentation of Bernt Notke’s retable in the local as well as in the international context through scientific practices, web developments and popularization; *Integration of conservation and research practices into the curriculum of the Department of Cultural Heritage and Conservation of the Estonian Academy of Arts (organization of international workshops; involvement of students in the process of documentation, research and popularization); *Audience programmes for the wider general public. *The development of a web-based database to collect and present the outcomes of research and conservation.

Planned outcomes: The most important outcomes of conservation and research are the secured preservation of art monuments and their display in their original context. The retable that was made in Bernt Notke’s workshop is a significant work of art in the Estonian as well as in the international context. Its documentation with contemporary means and the art historian and material-technical research data will help to introduce the art monument to professional circles as well as to the general public in Estonia and to position it in the context of local and international art criticism. As a joint research project involving various Estonian research institutions and experts, it will provide an excellent opportunity to introduce Estonia’s scientific and infotechnological capacity and administration through the presentation of its cultural heritage to a wider international public audience. A thorough and detailed 3D documentation of the retable will secure the preservation of the data of this art monument in case of possible changes or, at worst, its destruction. All the data collected during the documentation and the research will be collected on one web platform, and backed up in associated institutions making it possible to present them in a visually comprehensible and attractive way to international researchers as well as to the general public. After the analysis of this thorough research, one of Estonia’s most unique art monuments can be conserved and preserved for the future generations.