‘Ways of Seeing and Strategies of Visualization’, XXXI International Colloquium of the Corpus Vitrearum
and
‘Technology, Conservation and Restoration of Stained Glass’, XII International Forum on the Conservation and Technology of Historic Stained Glass.
The 31st Colloquium and the 12th Forum were held at Erfurt and Naumburg cathedrals 15-19 July 2024 (Fig. 1). The join event was organised by the German National Committee of the Corpus Vitrearum with the sponsorship of the Mainz Academy of Sciences and Literature and the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities.
The Colloquium gathered on Monday and Tuesday in Erfurt. The reports from the National Committees of the Corpus Vitrearum gave a good insight into the work of each committee and several of them provided an inspiring glimpse of the stained glass from the represented member countries.
On Wednesday the Colloquium and the Forum came together in an excursion day to Schulpforte and Naumburg (Fig. 2), with lectures held in Naumburg, followed by a conference dinner in the garden of Naumburg Cathedral. On Thursday and Friday the Forum continued at Erfurt for lectures and further visits.
The overall theme of Visibility gave a broad framework for the event, with a great variety of approaches towards the theme. Visibility was explored in a literal sense, in how it is interpreted, changes in visibility, eligibility, cleaning, location, the characteristics of glass and many more approaches. This gave food for thought and inspired interesting discussions both in the Q&A’s after each lecture, and during the coffee- and lunchbreaks. As it was a warm week in Erfurt and Naumburg, and the plentiful supply of cold drinks during the breaks was highly appreciated.
There were several interesting site visits; to Erfurt Cathedral (Fig. 3), Naumburg Cathedral, the Augustinian Monastery in Erfurt, the monastery church of Schulpforte (Fig. 4), Erfurt Barfüberkirche and Erfurt Predigerkirche. The sites had stained glass of different eras, and in a range of styles, with an emphasis on medieval stained glass. Some of the guided tours were held only in German, but texts in French and English had been provided beforehand for most of the sites.
With a total of 45 lectures, one public evening lecture, poster sessions and several site visits, the programme was both intense and wide-ranging. Beautiful and interesting stained glass was presented, and the audience got insights into practical glass painting working methods, scientific material analysis, cleaning methods, the storing of stained glass, relocation, documenting, reconstructing and several other topics. The lectures were so numerous that it would be overwhelming to describe them all here. The range of approaches to the theme of visibility was impressive. Oksana Kondratyeva’s lecture on the “(In) Visible” stained glass of Ukraine made a big impression on the audience and gave a rare insight into the range of stained glass of her native country (Fig. 5), as well as spotlighting the importance of securing cultural heritage in times of war. Among other subjects that might have been less familiar to the audience in general were the stucco stained glass windows of the Islamic architecture, stained glass in Shanghai and work by the Norwegian artist Emanuel Vigeland (Fig. 6). Both lecture venues were beautiful, and the team of interpreters did an outstanding job during the lectures. Their contribution to the success of the event cannot be overestimated.
It is a great advantage that the Colloquium and the Forum are now part of the same event. There can be nothing but positive outcomes from sharing knowledge, and one would imagine that everyone who attended the event learned something new and met many interesting people. It is highly recommended for anyone with a keen interest in stained glass history, science and conservation to attend both the Colloquium and the Forum and read previous lecture abstracts.
I would like to end on a personal note, as this was my first time attending the Corpus Vitrearum Forum and Colloquium. This type of meeting is so important for the field of stained glass, and the generosity shown by everyone at this event made a huge impact on me. I was so impressed by the willingness to share, teach, discuss and learn. Being from Norway, a country with few other professionals within the field of stained glass restoration and conservation, these events are especially important, both to learn from and to meet colleagues.
I would also recommend taking a few days off after a week with such a fully packed program, both to regain energy and to let the impressions sink in. One could also decide to not attend absolutely every presentation and site visit, but I did find that I personally had a fear of missing out.
The organisers deserve a huge thank you for the successful event.