New-York tribune., 1908-12-20
MONUMENTAL EFFIGIES.
Strange E7Ooden Relics an England
and UaLeS.
,-om The Lcncon Athenaum.

ron The Iscn3on AthenRum-
D- Alfred @ Fryer read a paper before the
society q AntiquaEiesl, on the Wooden Monu-
mental Effig5eS OF England and Wales" of
vfich the following : an abstract As far as
an be asCeTtained, there are ninety-three
--a.5eu monumental effigieS in England and
wales and these are distributed over twenty
s+x counties The greater proportion are mill
+arv pe-SOnageS. but there are, however. as
AMY as twenty-four ladies. well one
s.dce, three Iaymen. an archbishop and three
--;esfs while two OF the effisies have cadaVers-
Authentic records exist Of twenty-five wooden
-5gies which have now been destroyed
The exposure Of the actual dead at the time OF
ne mineral was followed. toward the close Of
,Es fourteenth century, by the practice OF bear
ine IN TIE funeral procession the hastily made
.7ilely figure Of the dead person in the very
.-ss II estate These lively figures were
--ssIv allied TO wooden effisies, and may have
- suggested by them. their foundations
-. # wood while the face and hands were of
ax OF fnc plaster tinted TO life. In 1896 find
80 a tomb 1yas erected II Westminster Abbey
- william OF EalenCe- This had a full-sized
,,osen figure covered with number OF plates
:, ,o7,rer some Of which were enameIle-3. Even
- this date there We're wooden effigieS, and
,f- earliest appears to have been TO Martin or
,-s7rcan Bishop Of Bangor, who died
- a AHhey Dore in 1241. This effisy Is de
e--5rad but Il actually existing in iIH6
75 u-as then IN excellent preservation The
.v.,a7er etziEy 10 Robert, Duke OF Normandy, IN
,.--,,ras+er cathedral. was most likely carved
,s,ar- l2S9- a Gue effigy to John De PitchfoTd at
Er-q+fori Shropshire, z few years later, ana q
f-L--Hrl- f1ETEibrGStl4Et, q lev years
sg-7ier Besides these, there Is one To Arch
ffsrop Peckhan IN Canterbury Cathedral. and
few Others uge-s- carved IN the closing years Cf
fh4 thirre-s-Jh century A large number were
mr. but :here l. none after 1859 until we find
.-I beautiful wooden effigieS TO Michael de Ia
pse second Earl Of Suffolk, and MS countess,
uHioh Uere carved IL 14l3- II would seem as II
-5e <-5Cllt1zl devastation Of the Black Death
- killed If most Of those carVeTS in wood
Tsa executed eftigies. Fine wooden efigies
and ann
81 W0rst1rouEh and Thornhlll. IN Yorkshire; at
Ra~f1rd IN Shropshire; Chew Magma, IN Souler-
y CeuEh-rst- II Kent. and other places; and
-tt latest are three IN BT2cinS Church Isle OF
E5gr1. 10 r1ree members OF the Dglander fam
5rr The e-zgy % Sir John Oglander. the author
1s the famous Oglander Memoirs, was carved
a5oat i6+o
Wber rse medieval artist had carved his
eHEy he followed oct the portion OF the board
with tie et75Ey upon il. as We'll as the animal at
r.e feet and the cushion under the head and
;fs7 filed II this space with charcoal to absorb
moisture After this he would size the figure
7n5 Ideces O linen would be placed over the
cracks ana then the decorator would give IL
c7a, of gesso. with thicker coating for those
lortinns hs desired to decorate in relief Nari-
ous stamps II diverse Patterns-soTle being for
mai and some for decorative pUrpOSes-Were
l-1-.-assa-i on The eesso before il hardened All
The painting on the figure was done IN dis
te-7y-zr and Il was finally covered with coat
af 6leaElrous Farnisb- This was needfuL. but.
alas, I'D not prove sufficient protection. Tor
r. constant changes of temperature caused
cnut-actio- and expansion OF the wood, and the
o71sa9uent fretting Of the surface upon which
TIE caloriuS G-as laid Although large numbers
= wooden ef5igles have been destroyed. and
nanv that remain have suffered from neglect,
szadng H. 5u5icioIs reservations" relentless
s-u5bingS shroUds Of whitewash and destruC-
Ten IN village bonfires Yet, out Of this havoc
remnant has been preserved from which il IS
possible L. s-rEv the technique Of the arts en-
p0yFd in carving and painting these ef1lg1es in
wood We may. indeed. be thankful that the
relentless hand Of the modern restorer and the
-avases = time have still left some treas
which may consider representative Of q
great national school Of medieval handlcraft