Mangle Board with Ulvik Stave Church portal design.
The Ulvik Church was found at the Northern tip of the Hardanger Fjord, in the Ulvikfjord. This was a timber church which was demolished in 1859. It had a chancel from an earlier building that had been demolished in 1711. The preserved portal was found re-used in the west wall of the timber part of the church, and was taken to the Bergen Museum after the demolition of the church in 1859. The date of the carving on the preserved portal is around 1200 or earlier. The portal design is of the Sogn-Valdres type, and has many parallels with the Hopperstad I design. Scholars disagree about the degree of relationship between the two portals. Some think it was carved by the same masters. Others disagree, but the date of 1200 or earlier is agreed on.
The calligraphic effect, and the frequent use of the triple-loop motif, are survivals from the Urnes style of carving from the mid-1000's. The composition is based on a series of carefully drawn and rounded circles. The relief is open and rounded, with strong three-dimensional bias. The continual widening and narrowing of the dragon's bodies produces an effect often described as "calligraphic," increasing the sense of continual movement of all parts. The contrast between the smooth minor dragons and the highly detailed and modeled foliage is also striking. The dragon at the base spews out the double and triple loop design.