How to Search and Browse Monuments on EffigiesAndBrasses.com

EffigiesAndBrasses.com is a collection of images of medieval monumental tombs, focused on European monuments from the 12th to 15th centuries, with the majority in the 14th century. You can find a specific monument by using the site's Search function, or browse by theme through Tags. The site also surfaces content automatically through Image of the Day and Recent Additions on the home page.

Starting Points on the Home Page

The home page gives you several ways in before you commit to a specific search:

• Search — a dedicated entry for looking up monuments by keyword.
• Tags — browse monuments grouped by related themes.
• Image of the Day — a rotating featured monument (for example, Raoul de Layer, 1292, France).
• Recent Additions — the newest records added to the collection.
• Sources — background on where the monument images and data come from.
• About — context on the site and its scope.

If you already know the name of a person, place, or monument, Search is the fastest route. If you are exploring rather than looking for something specific, Tags and Recent Additions are better starting points.

Searching for a Specific Monument

1. Go to the Search entry on the site.
2. Enter a keyword tied to the monument — a name, a place, or a related term.
3. Review the results and open the record you want.

The expected result is a set of matching monument records drawn from the collection. The site does not document its exact search syntax or matching rules, so if a specific query returns nothing useful, try a broader term or switch to browsing by Tags.

Browsing by Tags

Tags group monuments by shared themes, which is useful when you do not have a specific monument in mind. This is the better path when your question is thematic — for example, "show me monuments from a particular region or period" — rather than "find this one tomb."

Because the collection spans 23 countries and concentrates on the 12th–15th centuries, tags are a practical way to narrow a large set (6,479 images across 3,422 monuments) down to something manageable.

Using Recent Additions and Image of the Day

• Recent Additions lists the newest records, such as John Cherowin (1441, England), Raymond de Beaufort (1420, France), Dierick von der Merwede (1452, Netherlands), and Jan van Hamme III (1445, Belgium). Use this if you want to see what has been added lately or discover monuments you may not have known to search for.
• Image of the Day highlights a single monument each day, which is a low-effort way to sample the collection.

Checking Sources and Background

The Sources page documents where the images and information come from, and About explains the site's scope. Consult these when you need to know the origin of a record or confirm whether a monument falls within the collection's coverage (European monuments, 12th–15th centuries, mostly 14th century).

Quick Reference

The collection currently covers 6,479 images and 3,422 monuments across 23 countries.