Rijksmuseum

Isabella van Bourbon & Pleurants

Date

c. 1475 - c. 1476

Medium

bronze (metal)

Culture

Brussels

Institution

Rijksmuseum

Mary of Burgundy had a mausoleum erected for her late mother, Isabella of Bourbon. Only the gisant (tomb effigy) of Isabella and 10 of the 24 figures originally surrounding the tomb have been preserved. These pleurants (weepers) represent five generations of grieving forebears. While the tomb commemorated Isabella, it mainly served to advertise Mary’s noble lineage. She was the sole remaining heir of the Dukes of Burgundy and therefore a highly desirable consort. A year after the monument was completed, she married Maximilian of Habsburg, whereby the Burgundian Netherlands became part of the vast Holy Roman Empire.

The authoritative record is held by Rijksmuseum. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.