|
In contrast to the French 'gisants', the Archbishop of Mainz, Siegfried III van Epstein, is shown on the slab of his tomb as not merely alive, but active. In a self-contradictory composition, his head rests on a pillow but his feet stand on the back of two animal figures, a dragon and a lion, pressed down by his weight. He is not alone, but accompanied by two smaller figures and his hands are placing a crown on the head of each. They have been identified as Landgrave Heinrich Raspe of Thüringen and Count William of Holland.
The imagery on this tomb slab amounts to a forceful assertion of the political claim of the Archbishop of Mainz to the right to crown German kings.
|
