Medieval bling: the display of jewellery on women's funerary monuments from England in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries

Authors

  • Pam Walker Independent Scholar

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5617/acta.10447

Keywords:

adornment, jewellery, funerary monuments, England, Middle Ages

Abstract

This article suggests that more detailed analysis must be done when using artistic sources, in particular, funerary monuments, as evidence for medieval dress. Using archaeological, documentary, and literary evidence for jewellery in England in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, it asks why what seems to be a popular accessory was very rarely depicted on sculpted effigies and monumental brasses. Assumptions from just the visual evidence would conclude that brooches in particular were not a common piece of jewellery for noble women, but this does not correspond with the material evidence. The focus of this article, therefore, is on using an interdisciplinary approach to look at monuments as a source in their own right rather than as just a general mirror of contemporary fashion. By looking at three case studies, the article shows that deeper analysis of specific monuments can put them into religious, political, and historical context and provide information about the women depicted on them and the significance of accessories, such as brooches.

 

On cover:
Late Roman wall, the portion immediately south of the West Gate (Porta Oea) with re-used blocks from first-century mausolea (Drawing by Francesca Bigi) and Tombstone of Regina from South Shields (Arbeia) (Tyne and WearArchives and Museums/ Bridgeman Images).

E-ISSN (online version) 2611-3686

ISSN (print version) 0065-0900

Late Roman wall, the partition immediately south of the West Gate (Porta Oea) with reused blocks from first-century mausolea (Drawing by Francesca Bigi) and Tombstone of Regina from South Shields (Arbeia) (Tyneamd WearArchives and Museums/ Bridgeman Images)

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Published

2023-08-01

How to Cite

Walker, P. (2023) “Medieval bling: the display of jewellery on women’s funerary monuments from England in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries”, Acta ad archaeologiam et artium historiam pertinentia, 33(19 N.S.), pp. 289–304. doi: 10.5617/acta.10447.

Issue

Vol. 33 No. 19 N.S. (2021)

Section

Part 2: Adornment as Expression of Everyday Identity in Ancient and Medieval Life

License

Copyright (c) 2023 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

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