In the 15th century (c. 1400–1500), church monuments, primarily effigial tombs and brasses, were the dominant form of commemorative art in parish churches and cathedrals. They reflected social status, piety, and late medieval chivalric culture, with a shift toward realism and personal expression.
Purbeck marble effigy of Bishop Thomas de Cobham (d1327). Worcester Cathedral.
The designation “London ‘C’” is used by modern scholarship to identify an anonymous group of London-based brass engravers responsible for a coherent body of late medieval monumental brasses. The label derives from stylistic analysis rather than documentary evidence and distinguishes this workshop from other contemporary London groups.
Early C14 fragments of stained glass re-set into north chancel window. St. Wilfred, Old Arley, Warwickshire
This fragmentary but evocative window from Holy Cross Church, Pattishall, preserves elements of a 14th-century English stained glass narrative cycle. The surviving lights depict a kneeling orant figure with hands raised in prayer, and beside it, a group showing Christ with a disciple or saint, set beneath delicately painted Gothic architectural canopies.
The stained glass windows in the chancel of Tewkesbury Abbey are all from between 1338 and 1340. They were most probably a gift to the Abbey by Eleanor Despenser (nee de Clare) the wife of Hugh Despenser the Younger. Eleanor is thought to be the person depicted in the panel here.
[no-glossary]Christ in Majesty[/no-glossary] and the Virgin Enthroned (c1340) Stanford on Avon, Northamptonshire.
Once thought to be an effigial monument to William Longespee (d1250) the date of the armour places this as a 14th century monument.
Donatello’s spiritelli—small bronze, dancing child figures—embody the Renaissance fusion of classical vitality and Christian joy. Created for settings from pulpits to private collections, these lively winged children transformed ancient putti into symbols of divine life and humanist celebration. Through their movement, naturalism, and charm, Donatello redefined sculpture as a living expression of sacred and worldly beauty.
Defaced C14 effigy of priest on a chest tomb with quatrefoils.
