Tombs in Early Modern Rome (1400–1600) : Monuments of Mourning, Memory and Meditation

In Tombs in Early Modern Rome (1400-1600) , Jan L. de Jong reveals how funerary monuments, far from simply marking a grave, offered an image of the deceased that was carefully crafted to generate a laudable memory and prompt meditative reflections on life, death, and the hereafter. This leads to such questions as: which image of themselves did cardinals create when they commissioned their own tomb monuments? Why were most popes buried in grandiose tomb monuments that they claimed they did not want? Which memory of their mothers did children create, and what do tombs for children tell about mothers? Were certain couples buried together so as to demonstrate their eternal love, expecting an afterlife in each other's company? Contents Acknowledgements Illustrations Introduction 1 Nos tegimus cineres, spiritus astra tenet: Monuments, Mortal Remains and the Soul 1 Problems Caused by Tombs in Church Buildings 2 Epitaphs: Composing and Carving 3 Functions of Tomb Monuments 4 Beliefs and Convictions 4.1 Emotional Concerns 4.2 Between the Moment of Death and the End of Time 4.3 Expectations of the Afterlife 4.4 The Necessity of a Specific Site to Be Buried 4.5 Tombs as a Place of Reflection 5 Studying Tomb Monuments 2 (Vivens) sibi posuit: Cardinals Planning Their Own Tomb Monument 1 Questions 2 Opulence and Modesty 3 The Role of Inscriptions 4 Pride and Self-Promotion 5 Monuments of Vainglory? 6 Cardinal Giovanni Ricci 7 Conclusions 3 Qui semper vanos tumuli contempsit honores: Directing the Memory of the Pope 1 Questions 2 The Popes’ Wishes 3 Respectfully Securing the Popes’ Memory 4 Modesty Ignored 4.1 Pope Pius III 4.2 Pope Adrian VI 4.3 Pope Clement VII 4.4 Pope Pius V 5 Conclusions 4 Optima, prudentissima, infelicissima: Mothers and Monuments 1 Questions 2 Tomb Monuments Erected for Mothers 2.1 Husbands for Their Wives, as Mother of Their Children 2.2 Mothers for Themselves 2.3 Children for Their Mother 2.3.1 Children for Their Mother: Special Cases 2.3.2 Children for Their Mother: Conclusions 3 Tomb Monuments Erected by Mothers for Their Children 3.1 Mothers for Their Children: Special Cases 3.2 Mothers for Their Children: Conclusions 4 Conclusions 5 Concordes et amantissime: Tomb Monuments for Spouses 1 Questions 2 Coniuges viventes fecerunt: Erected by Both Spouses Still Alive 3 Coniugi et sibi: Erected by the Surviving Spouse 4 Suis dulcissimis parentibus: Erected by the Children under Will of Their Parents 5 Conclusions Conclusion Abbreviations of Frequently Mentioned Publications General Bibliography Index of Persons Index of Scriptural Passages Index of Churches in Rome and other Places "In Tombs in Early Modern Rome (1400-1600), Jan L. de Jong studies how funerary monuments did not simply mark a grave, but offered an image of the deceased that was carefully crafted in order to generate a laudable memory and stimulate meditation on life, death and the hereafter. This leads to such questions as: which image of themselves did cardinals create when they commissioned their own tomb monument? Why were most popes buried in a grandiose tomb monument that they claimed they did not want? Which memory of their mother did children create, and what do tombs for children tell about mothers? Were certain couples buried together so as to demonstrate their eternal love, expecting an afterlife in each other's company?"-- Provided by publisher "In Tombs in Early Modern Rome (1400-1600), Jan L. de Jong studies how funerary monuments did not simply mark a grave, but offered an image of the deceased that was carefully crafted in order to generate a laudable memory and stimulate meditation on life, death and the hereafter. This leads to such questions as: which image of themselves did cardinals create when they commissioned their own tomb monument? Why were most popes buried in a grandiose tomb monument that they claimed they did not want? Which memory of their mother did children create, and what do tombs for children tell about mothers? Were certain couples buried together so as to demonstrate their eternal love, expecting an afterlife in each other's company?"-- Page 4 of cover