Leiden University Student Repository

Jones, Gareth (2015)

Tomb monuments as a form of self-expression for aristocratic women in early modern England

Master thesis | Arts and Culture (MA)

Women in England during the early modern period had relatively little autonomy in pursuing their own goals and in defining their own identity. This was particularly true of married women, who laboured under the restrictions placed upon them by the laws of coverture, which removed many of their legal rights. Upon widowhood, however, a new opportunity for self-expression was immediately presented in the form of the socially-accepted tradition of commissioning a monument commemorating their husband. In this thesis I will examine the process by which these commissions took place and comment upon the difficulties and expectations, as well as the opportunities and motives, faced by widows engaging in this relatively unique form of artistic patronage.

Tomb Monuments English

Tomb Monument England Patronage Women Memory Memorial

Author

Jones, Gareth

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

Early Modern and Medieval Art

Supervisors

Keblusek, Marika

ECTS Credits

20

Language

en