The rebuilding of the monastic church at Les Avellanes in the Gothic style was undertaken by Ermengol X, count of Urgell, who died in 1314. It was his intention to establish a family burial chapel in the church, and the three large tombs now assembled around the three walls of this room may all date from that time. This tomb ensemble is said to have been made to house the remains of Ermengol VII, who died in 1184 and who was erroneously thought to have founded the present monastery at Bellpuig de les Avellanes. The ensemble was constructed of disparate but contemporary elements and was probably put together in its present form in the eighteenth century when the monastery was revitalized and the abbot was attempting to reestablish land and water claims through historical right. The severe style of the effigy—an elongated figure draped in smooth descending folds defying its prone position and a drawn cadaverous face—is offset by elaborate and richly worked surface detail.
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Artwork Details
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Title:Tomb of Ermengol VII, Count of Urgell
Date:ca. 1300–1350
Geography:Made in Lerida, Catalonia, Spain
Culture:Catalan
Medium:Limestone, traces of paint
Dimensions:89 x 79 1/2 x 35 in. (226.1 x 201.9 x 88.9 cm)
Classification:Sculpture-Stone
Credit Line:The Cloisters Collection,1928
Accession Number:28.95a–xx
Marking: Arms: (on four corners of pillow): chequy, or and sable (on rear edge of sarcophagus): on a hillock, lozengy argent and gules, surmounted by a fleur-de-lis and enclosed in two concentric circles
From the Premonstratensian monastery of Santa María de Bellpuig de les Avellanes, Spain; [ Georges J. Demotte 1877–1923, Paris and New York (sold 1928)] ; George Blumenthal, Paris and New York (in 1928 for John. D. Rockefeller Jr.) ; John D. Rockefeller Jr. American, New York (1928)
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