Colour in the Choir. Polychromy on Late-Medieval and Renaissance Church Furniture

12th Ards Annual Conference on Current Research in Medieval and Renaissance Sculpture and Conference Iconostalla Misericordia International Leuven (BE), M Leuven, 21-23 May 2025.

Practical announcements on the conference programme
Click here to download the programme.
Click here to download the abstracts and bios.
Click here to download the conference dinner menu.

Wednesday 21 May 2025
Lectures within session 1 'From Italy to the Low Countries: Colour and Craftsmanship in Medieval and Renaissance Choir Stalls' and session 2 'The Spectrum of Polychromy: A Technical Study of Marbled, Partial, and Complete Coloration in Liturgical Furniture'.

Excursion that explores the museum in relation to the conference theme, including the permanent collection, the temporary exhibition 'Art that Moves', and an object session for close study of artworks.

Lectures will take place in the 'Forum'; coffee, tea and lunch breaks in the 'Lobby' in M Leuven (Leopold Vanderkelenstraat 28). The excursion will also start from the 'Lobby'.

If you registered in advance, you're welcome to join us for the conference dinner at PepeNero (Muntstraat 19) at 19:00.

Thursday 22 May 2025
If you join us for the excursion to Saint Gertrude's Church, we meet at the entrance of the church (Halfmaartstraat) at 9:15.

If you join us for the for the excursion to Saint-Peter’s Church, we meet at the entrance of the church (Grote Markt 1) at 10:40.

Lectures within session 3 'Broadening the Scope: Investigating the Preservation of Original Choir Spaces in Early Modern Europe' and keynote lecture by Justin Kroesen, entitled 'A Prelude to Heaven. Furnished Choir Spaces in Medieval Churches'.

Lectures will take place in the 'Forum'; coffee, tea and lunch breaks in the 'Lobby' in M Leuven (Leopold Vanderkelenstraat 28).

If you registered in advance, you're welcome to join us for the conference drinks at 17:00 in the 'Lobby' (in case of bad weather) or the rooftop terrace 'Dakterras' (in case of good weather).

Friday 23 May 2025
If you join us for the excursion 'Churches Around Leuven', we meet at 9:45 at Ferdinand Smoldersplein 5, 3000 Leuven. The bus departs promptly at 10:00. Please ensure you are on time.

If you're traveling to the churches using your own transport rather than the bus, please be sure to arrive at the following times: Aarschot at 10:35 (Jan Van Ophemstraat), Diest at 13:45 (Grote Markt), and Zoutleeuw at 16:00 (Grote Markt). We meet at the entrances of each church.

If you registered in advance, you're welcome to join us for the lunch in Diest at Vangrootloon (Botermarkt 33) at 12:15.

Registration
Registration is now closed.

Call for papers
The call for papers has officially closed.
Click here to download the call for papers.

Organising committee
M Leuven and Ards – the platform for medieval sculpture
Marjan Debaene, Hannah De Moor, Anne Liefsoens

Iconostalla
Frédéric Billiet, Willy Piron, Christel Theunissen, Jos Koldeweij

Contributing partners
Sam Fogg

Image: Choir stalls of the Church of Saint Bavo, Haarlem. Photo: Willy Piron.