Title

Tomb of a Knight

Generic classification

Object

Date

Century

Cultural context / style

Dimensions

Material

Technique

Iconography / Theme

Provenance

Current location

Inventory Number in Current Collection

Object history

Acquired as an effigy of Don Francisco Maldonado from the antique dealer Émile Parès in Madrid in July 1906, at the same time as the processional cross (nº M27e12). According to the documentation kept by Isabella Steward Gardner, the sculpture comes from Salamanca.

Description

Due to the material used, alabaster, as well as the fact that it is part of a funerary monument, this work indicates that it was commissioned by an aristocratic knight, possibly in relation to the court of Castile. It responds to the type of medieval funerary monument where the recumbent is represented according to his social status, in this case as a knight. Arranged on his bed, he appears full-length as if he were sleeping. His head rests on several cushions. He wears his armor and chain mail that identifies him with his status. He clutches his sword in his hands, of which only the hilt remains. The face is quite singular. This denotes an attempt to capture the features of the deceased, beyond a conventional representation. He is beardless, with long hair falling on both sides of his face and covered by a hood. At his feet, an animal would surely be arranged, either a dog or a lion, as was usual in this type of burial. The coats of arms identifying the family to which he belonged would have been placed on the sides of the sarcophagus or on the wall. For that reason, in the sculpture there is no more information that can serve to identify where the original burial place of this gentleman would be.

Locations

• Unknown date

  dealer/antiquarian

  Emilio Pares, Paris (France) *

• present

  museum

  Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston (United States)