NorCol is highly cross-disciplinary with a collaboration of chemists, botanists, art historians and archaeologist. The project combines experimental work with studies of historical sources and archival material. It brings together humanities with natural sciences and cultural studies, including economical aspects.
The group aims to encourage cross disiplinary work and communication towards the broader public. The research group participants consists of senior scientists, PhD and postdoc students, and it will include collaborators who do not have access to the established research environment.
Four working groups
The research group will be divided in four working groups.
Working group 1: Plant dyestuffs and pigments in Iron and Viking Age
The first working group focuses on dyestuffs extracted from plants. Whilst some are well-known, for example madder, others are still less explored, as lichen. Some plant dyestuffs are characteristic for a geographical region and may indicate a certain provenance. Here we are in particular interested in dye plants growing in Norway. Many of the dyestuffs are bleached out and decomposed which makes the chemical analyses quite challenging. The working group will work on analytical methods for identification of dyestuffs.
Apart from the analytical work, the group will study dyeing techniques, produce mock-ups and simulate ageing processes. This will help to improve preservation of archaeological textiles.
Working group 2: Pigment production in the period of early globalization in Norway
Related to the exploration of mines in Norway, several of the won minerals were used as pigments.
The Museum of Cultural History owns a significant number of ethnographic objects which are not much investigated yet. Many of them were manufactured in the 19th century, and analyses of pigments and dyestuffs on selected objects are planned to be carried out. Particularly, blue glazes from China will be analyzed. The blue colour was made by using cobalt oxides that may have been produced in Norway.
Working group 3: Import of colours into Norway
This group will look at the import of colours into Norway. Museums and institutions in Norway own a rich collection of artistic material belonging to Norwegian artists such as Munch, Kittelsen and Backer. There are also archives from manufacturers of artistic materials available for research.
Analyses of the samples will be linked to documentation and contemporary technical literature. This part of NorCol will help to address and answer questions of conservation, dating and authenticity.
Working group 4: Colours used in books and prints in Norway
In collaboration with the National Library in Norway, this group will study colours that were used in selected prints and books. In particular, this working group is interested in the colours used on maps in the "kartsenteret", which owns the largest collection of maps of the Nordic countries in the world.
Collaborating partners
Affiliated members of the research group NorCol comes from Blaafarveværket, Botanical Garden at the Natural History Museum, National Library of Norway, Munch, University of Applied Sciences in Köln, Department of Archaeology, Conservation and History at the University of Oslo.
Funding
Museum of Cultural History.