effigiesandbrasses.com

EffigiesAndBrasses.com is an image collection of medieval monumental tombs, focused on European monuments from the 12th to 15th centuries. Most of the monuments listed are either effigies or brasses, with the remainder consisting of incised slabs, half-reliefs, and other miscellaneous representations. The majority of the collection lies in the 14th century.

What the collection covers

The site describes itself as a collection of images of medieval monumental tombs. Its scope is defined by three dimensions:

• Monument type: effigies and brasses form the bulk of the collection; incised slabs, half-reliefs, and other miscellaneous representations make up the rest.
• Geography: European monuments.
• Period: the 12th to 15th centuries, with most examples from the 14th century.

How large the collection is

The site reports the following figures:

How the site is organized

The navigation includes Home, Search, Tags, Sources, About, and links to related projects: Manuscript Miniatures, Aquamanilia, and Armour in Art. A featured "Image of the Day" appears on the homepage, and a "Recent Additions" list shows newly added monuments with name, date, and country — for example, John Cherowin, 1441, England; Raymond de Beaufort, 1420, France; Dierick von der Merwede, 1452, Netherlands; and Joseph Vizas, 1402, Cyprus.

Who it is useful for

• Researchers and students of medieval art, tomb sculpture, and monumental brasses who need a searchable image reference.
• Historical researchers working on 14th-century European commemorative practice, for whom the collection's period concentration is a natural fit.
• Anyone comparing effigies, brasses, incised slabs, and half-reliefs across 23 countries within a single site.

The site footer indicates the collection has been maintained from 2009 to 2026.

As of the site's own statistics, EffigiesAndBrasses.com holds 6,479 images documenting 3,422 monuments across 23 countries. These figures come from the Stats section of the homepage and reflect the collection at the time of publication; the site continues to add material, so the numbers are a snapshot rather than a fixed total.

What the numbers cover

The collection focuses on European monumental tombs from the 12th to 15th centuries, with the majority falling in the 14th century. Most monuments are effigies or brasses, with the remainder made up of incised slabs, half-reliefs, and other miscellaneous representations.

Because a single monument can be documented by more than one image, the image count runs higher than the monument count — roughly 1.9 images per monument on average.

How to check the current totals

The homepage displays the Stats figures directly, so the fastest way to see up-to-date numbers is to load the site and read the Stats block. The same page also shows an "Image of the Day" and a "Recent Additions" list, which is useful for judging how actively the collection is growing. Recent additions shown on the homepage include monuments from England, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Cyprus, dated between 1292 and 1456.

What the size means for research

With 3,422 monuments spread over 23 countries, the collection is large enough to support comparative work — for example, comparing tomb representation styles across regions or tracking how effigy design changes from the 12th to the 15th century. The 14th-century weighting means coverage is densest for that period, so searches for earlier or later monuments may return thinner results. If you need a specific monument, the Search and Tags sections are the practical entry points; the Stats page tells you the overall scale but not what is included for a given region or date.

EffigiesAndBrasses.com is a collection of images of medieval monumental tombs, focused on European monuments from the 12th to 15th centuries, with the majority falling in the 14th century. Most of the monuments listed are either effigies or brasses; the remainder are incised slabs, half-reliefs, and other miscellaneous representations.

Monument Types in the Collection

The site describes its holdings in two tiers: the dominant categories and the smaller remainder.

Primary types

• Effigies — three-dimensional sculpted representations of the deceased, typically recumbent, placed on or within a tomb.
• Brasses — flat metal plates (commonly brass) set into stone, incised with a figure and often an inscription.

These two categories account for most of the monuments listed.

Other included types

• Incised slabs — stone slabs carved with a recessed outline or figure rather than a raised effigy.
• Half-reliefs — figures carved in partial relief.
• Miscellaneous representations — other forms of monumental commemoration that do not fit the categories above.

Geographic and Chronological Scope

The collection is explicitly described as focused on European monuments, so it is not a global survey of medieval tomb art.

What the Site Reports About Its Own Size

The homepage lists current statistics:

• Images: 6,479
• Monuments: 3,422
• Countries: 23

Recent additions span England, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Cyprus, with individual entries dated between 1292 and 1456 — consistent with the stated 12th–15th century range.

Practical Notes for Users

• The site is organized around images of monuments, not around full scholarly catalog entries, so it works best as a visual reference collection.
• Navigation includes Home, Search, Tags, Sources, About, plus related projects (Manuscript Miniatures, Aquamanilia, Armour in Art).
• An "Image of the Day" feature highlights a single monument — for example, Raoul de Layer, 1292, France.
• If you need monuments outside Europe, or outside the 12th–15th century window, this collection is unlikely to cover them.

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.