Tomb Effigy of Jacquelin de Ferrière
Unknown Artist
ca. 1275–1300
Medium
Limestone, wood
Dimensions
overall, with frame: H. 73 3/4 in. (187.3 cm); W. 24 5/8 in. (62.5 cm); D. 5 in. (12.7 cm)
Classification
Miscellaneous-Paintings & Portraits
Culture
North French
Department
Arms and Armor
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bashford Dean Memorial Collection, Funds from various donors, 1929
Accession Number
29.158.761
Tags
Art Historical Context
This poignant tomb effigy of Jacin de Ferrière, around 1275–1300 in northern France, offers a window into medieval funerary art. Crafted from limestone with wooden elements, the life-sized figure—standing about 73 inches tall— depicts the nobleman in recumbent pose, a common tradition for commemorating knights and elites on their tombs. Its placement in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Arms and Armor Department highlights the era's emphasis on chivalric identity, where such sculptures preserved the deceased's armored likeness for eternity. Dating to the Gothic period, the effigy exemplifies N...