Chasing the Lost Lore of Kolrosing

Join Liesl Chatman to hear about her Fall 2024 trip to Scandinavia to study the history of kolrosing, a decorative Scandinavian folk art made by incising wood surfaces and filling the lines with pigment. In 19th century Norway, this humble decorative art adorned three-quarters of a million wooden Toten spoons but is now classified as an endangered folk art. Swedish carver Jögge Sundqvist said, “for sure, kolrosing is dead in Sweden.” With the support of an American Scandinavian Foundation Fellowship, Liesl went to Sweden and Norway to uncover what she could about the social history and technical evolution of kolrosing.

The story of Toten spoons that Liesl found is a beautiful, yet tragic, one that fades away with industrialization and Nazi Occupation. Liesl visited major museums and studied kolrosed spoons and other items from the early 17th century onwards. Along the way, she and her wife Erin spent time with folk artists and instructors Beth Moen and Julia Kalthoff, and the faculty at Sätergläntan Institute for Craft in Sweden and Rauland Akademit in Norway. Both schools invited Liesl to teach kolrosing to the next Swedish and Norwegian Slöjders generation. After the talk, everyone is invited to join the monthly Makers Night for further conversation and sharing.