Mourner from the Tomb of John the Fearless and Margaret of Bavaria
This monklike figure has a variously textured monochrome surface. Alabaster’s softness made it easy to carve details like the fabric and fur of the mourner’s robe and the codex pages in his hand. This is one of 40 mourners from an elaborate funeral procession beneath an intricately carved alabaster arcade.This mourner comes from the monastery of Champmol near Dijon, which became a primary burial place for Burgundian dukes. The sculpture was part of the tomb of John the Fearless (1371–1419), commissioned by his son Philip the Good (1396–1467), modeled after the earlier monument for Philip th...
Details
- Palette
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Select a color to find related artworks.
- Medium
- salins alabaster
- Dimensions
- overall: height 0.41 m, width 0.203 m, depth 0.124 m
- Department
- Medieval Art
- Holding institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Image provider
- cleveland-museum-of-art
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Art Genome Taxonomy
9 tags
Subject Matter
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Human Figure Both · 99%
The image shows a standing human figure with a visible head, hands, feet, and draped body; the metadata identifies the subject as male.
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Mourning and Commemoration Metadata · 99%
The title identifies the figure as a mourner, and the museum describes it as part of a funerary procession for a ducal tomb.
Styles and Movements
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Medieval Art Metadata · 99%
The museum lists Medieval Art among the work's classifications.
Visual Qualities
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Highly Detailed Both · 96%
The museum emphasizes the detailed carving of the robe and codex pages, while the image visibly shows carefully articulated folds, facial features, hair, hands, and book pages.
Medium and Techniques
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Sculpture Both · 99%
The museum classifies the work as sculpture, and the image clearly shows a fully three-dimensional carved figure.
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Carving Both · 98%
The recorded alabaster medium and the visible three-dimensional treatment of the robe, collar, and book support identifying carving as a central technique.
Time Periods
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15th Century Art Metadata · 99%
The work is dated 1443–45, placing it in the fifteenth century.
Materials
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Stone Metadata · 99%
The recorded medium is salins alabaster, a pale stone visible in the image as a carved, veined surface.
Antiquities, Artifacts, and Religious Objects
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Funerary/Commemorative Object Metadata · 98%
The sculpture formed part of the tomb monument of John the Fearless and Margaret of Bavaria and served a commemorative funerary function.
Source & rights
Jean de la Huerta (Spanish, active Burgundy, 1431–62). Mourner from the Tomb of John the Fearless and Margaret of Bavaria. Cleveland Museum of Art.