Collection record · Objects & craft
Mourner from the Tomb of Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy (1364–1404)
The collection record classifies this work as sculpture. It is dated 1404–1410. Recorded culture or place: Netherlands, active Dijon, 15th century.
Explore the object recordOBJECT RECORD
A closer look at the details.
- Museum title
- Mourner from the Tomb of Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy (1364–1404)
- Date
- 1404–1410
- Culture / origin
- Netherlands, active Dijon, 15th century
- Materials and technique
- vizille alabaster
- Dimensions
- Overall: 41.7 x 16.6 x 11.7 cm (16 7/16 x 6 9/16 x 4 5/8 in.)
- Artist / maker
- Claus de Werve (Netherlandish, 1380–1439)
- Museum
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Accession number
- 1940.128
FROM THE MUSEUM
In the museum’s words
The following description is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art’s original English record.
This figure comes from the tomb of Duke Philip the Bold from the church of Champmol near Dijon (Burgundy, France). Philip, who founded the monastery and designated it as his burial place, hired the best artists, many of whom came from the Netherlands. While the commission was given in 1381, the work was not completed until 1410, six years after the duke’s death.
This mourner is unusual for the time because it is not carved as a static low relief on the pedestal of the tomb but interacts with the viewers and their fellow procession members. The lifelike quality of the figure is due in large part to the alabaster. Its softness allowed artists to carve details into the material, and the transparent, milky white stone could also be polished to a high gloss.
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Text and image sources
The Cleveland Museum of Art · Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund · CC0
The summary is based on public collection data. Refer to the museum’s latest record for the title, date and attribution.
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