Statuette from The Mourners at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Dijon, France

myminifactory

The renovation of Dijon's Musée des Beaux-Arts offers a chance for the unprecedented loan of alabaster mourners from John the Fearless' tomb, Duke of Burgundy, and his wife Margaret of Bavaria. Each statuette is about sixteen inches tall. Jean de La Huerta and Antoine Le Moiturier carved them between 1443-1456 for the ducal tomb originally in Champmol's church, following Claus Sluter and colleagues' precedent on Duke Philip the Bold's (1342-1404) tomb. These tombs are renowned as among the most opulent and inventive of late medieval times. The primary innovation was giving space to grieving mourners' figures on the base of the tomb, who appear to pass through cloister arcades in reality. This object is part of "Scan The World," a non-profit initiative by MyMiniFactory, which aims to create a digital archive of fully printable 3D sculptures and artworks from across the globe for public access. Scan The World is an open-source community effort; if you have interesting items around you and want to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to learn how you can help.