6533b7d1fe1ef96bd125bfb8
RESEARCH PRODUCT
The ultimate message : a study of medieval tombstones in ducal Burgundy : 12th-16th centuries
Guillaume Grillonsubject
TombMoyen AgeSépultureBurialGisant[ SHS.HIST ] Humanities and Social Sciences/HistoryPlate tombeMonumentDalle funéraireTombeEpigraphyDeathIncised slabsRecumbent figureIconography[SHS.HIST] Humanities and Social Sciences/HistoryMiddle AgesTombstoneMort[SHS.HIST]Humanities and Social Sciences/HistoryEpigraphieIconographiedescription
The tombstone has long been neglected by historians. As obituaries and wills, tombstones reveal as much the relationship of the deceased to death that the management of their memory by their heirs. This study first shows the wealth of medieval Burgundy graves goods. Typological diversity adds to the richness of iconography with large amounts of effigial monuments. Tombs materialize burial of prestige. Originally reserved for prelates and princes, burial ad ecclesiam progressively extended to the feudal aristocracy and the bourgeoisie. The location and the materialization of a burial monument also reflect the evolution of medieval piety. Epigraphy and iconography show the mutation of "gothic" piety to a more flamboyant piety. But the will to transmitt a memory is a worry at least as important as the salvation of the soul. Despite a complex typology and a constantly formal evolution, the medieval tomb retains a guideline based on the memoria of the deceased. However, it reveals social as well as soteriological strategies. On the one hand, it reflects his auctoritas, and beyond that of his social group. On the other hand, it actively participates in its spiritual fulfillment.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-12-02 |