Daniela Dontševski

In 1554, a novel Italian-style big Weighthouse was built on Tallinn’s Town Hall Square. Although this unique Renaissance building in Tallinn was destroyed during the March bombings of the 20th century, it left behind numerous decorative elements. This bachelor’s thesis focuses on the remaining decorative details of the weighthouse – polychrome stucco medallions. The study examines the historical and iconographic context of the objects, aiming to create a basis for understanding their value. Several material studies are also carried out, including the analysis of the stucco recipe, pigments, and binders used in polychromy, as well as of the color scheme at different time periods. Although these objects are exceptional in Estonia in terms of their visual program and material selection, they have never been studied or conserved before.

The first chapter explains the Renaissance and how it manifested in the Nordic countries, as well as the changes brought by the victorious spread of the Reformation in the shaping of art. The second chapter introduces the history and meaning of the medallion form, and concludes with an overview of the visual program of the weighthouse medallions. Both chapters also seek to answer the question of whether, considering the tendencies of the 16th century, the architectural program of Tallinn’s weighthouse could have been connected to any graphic prints prevalent in the Hanseatic cities. The third chapter focuses on the work carried out on two medallions, presents the results of the material research, and highlights the most important conservation efforts.