Burying Richard

[poliphilo]

Royal tombs have ceased to be showy.  The last British royals to get a raised catafalque with recumbent effigies were George V and Queen Mary. George VI and Queen Elizabeth have a plain slab- flush to the floor- with nothing on it but their names and dates. This is in accord with modern taste. I think it's unlikely the present Queen will get anything grander.

The Richard III Society have released a design for Richard's tomb. It's a marble chest with heraldic doodads and brass inlay- a conservative compromise between medieval splendour and modern simplicity. I don't hate it but I'd rather it was one thing or the other. Lets give the commission to a mad artist and then cross our fingers and hold our breath or do as we'd do for a modern royal.

Comments

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

I'm a traditionalist when it comes to this sort of thing.

Go for something like the tomb of Edward of Woodstock (aka the Black Prince)!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

But that would cost a mint!

Beautiful tomb, though....

[resonant.livejournal.com]

Or to be ultra-traditional, just dump him back in the hole.

http://www.theonion.com/articles/well-that-was-cool-say-archaeologists-before-dumpi,31152/

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Tempting...

[artkouros.livejournal.com]

What's Lucian Freud doing these days? Oh, dead, I guess.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Quietly decomposing...

[lblanchard.livejournal.com]

I wonder if this is essentially Philippa Gregory's design? I understand she drafted one.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

It looks like the work of a committee to me.

It's OK. But it's very lowest common denominator.

[idahoswede.livejournal.com]

I'm personally in favour of opulent overstatement and I'm sure that the Richard II Society can find enough people to cough up the money. After all, they apparently raised about £10,000 in no time when they started the project to dig him up.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

It's not their call, though. The decision rests- I understand- with the Dean and Chapter of Leicester Cathedral.

[sovay]

Let's give the commission to a mad artist and then cross our fingers and hold our breath or do as we'd do for a modern royal.

I like mad artists.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

It's a commission that cries out for one.

[athenais.livejournal.com]

I like the design. But it's not very Richard III, is it?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

No, not really. It's tasteful, respectful and dull.