MEDIEVAL SCULPTOR, English
(active 1220s)

Tomb of King John

c. 1225
Purbeck marble
Cathedral, Worcester

The tomb monument of King John (1199-1226) was built shortly after his death and was placed, in accordance with his wishes in Worcester Cathedral, close to the shrine of St. Wulfstan. With his feet resting on the back of a lion, he is represented, presumably after the life, as a small man. While he holds in his hands his sceptre and his naked sword, the small figures of St. Oswald and St. Dunstan are depicted, in an unusual iconographic motif, beside his shoulders, sprinkling his head with incense.

In 1873, above the existing colouring, the whole effigy was gilded.