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The Notion of Jurisdiction in Danish Medieval Wall Paintings

Institute for History, University of Copenhagen, 102 Njalsgade, DK 2300 Copenhagen S Denmark

In medieval Danish wall paintings during the period 1100-1600, the evi dence for depictions of jurisdiction which refer directly to the laws and juridical institutions of the past society is rare. Instead, the paintings contain a large number of scenes representing jurisdiction with reference to Biblical stories. It is a tradition in medieval imagery that Biblical persons are de picted in some kind of antique clothing and settings. Consequently, the pri mary sign function—the denotative level—performed by these motifs is not one of bringing information about jurisdiction within society. Yet their ex tended sign function—'la signification' (Barthes) or the connotative level- does inform us of the notion of how justice could 'seem to be done'.

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