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An ancient and lasting tradition
Kerstin Sinha, Ljusdalsbygdens Museum
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We do not know how long the people of Hälsingland have been decorating their houses with wall hangings, but we do know that throughout the ages, people have beautified both themselves and their homes. In our part of the world, fragments of such hangings have been preserved from times before the spread of Christianity, before the birth of the nation-states – the Överhogdal tapestries for example. They have been carbon-dated to the 9th -11th centuries, and tell the story of their times in a throng of colourful woollen figures on linen cloth. At that time, the Hogdal countryside was seen as part of the outlying lands of Ljusdal, and if there were wall hangings there, we can be fairly sure that there were in Ljusdal too. Today, Överhogdal is part of Jämtland province and the tapestries are exhibited at the County Museum in Östersund. Go there and be fascinated! |
The tapestries were found in 1910 in one of the church cottages in Överhogdal.
They had been sewn together into a coverlet, but really consist of four
long narrow pieces of weave. The one in the picture was the lowest down
and was filled by its weaver with numerous figures and situations which
held meaning in those times. We see the liveliness, and wonder at the
skill and the fact that the wool vegetable dyes have lasted so well for
a thousand years. But in spite of many interesting attempts at interpretation,
we can only guess at what the pictures are telling us: the world view
which they represent was shattered by the victory of Christianity.
On the following pages, we will be looking at a number of paintings from the past 500 years, which have been preserved at Hälsingland farms.
Click to see more about the Hälsingland paintings of the
* 15-16th centuries
* 17th century
* 18th century
* 19th century
If you wish to know about
* What has been found on a typical old
farm, click here!
* Jonas Wallström (1798-1862), a
skilled stenciller and figure painter
* The "Ädel" style of painting - Maj-Britt Andersson