Lettering on gravestones and other gravemarkers, especially that of the Post-Reformation period, has been given little attention by researchers. It is barely mentioned in the literature on funerary memorials. Yet, it is a resource of immense importance in its own right and one that can inform several other disciplines including material culture, art history, archaeology, … Continue reading
Lettering on gravestones and other funerary markers is an important part of the memorial, whether it is restricted to initial letters and a date or it forms and extensive text. From the earliest commemorative inscriptions to those of the present day, lettering styles and their interpretation have changed over time and from one place to … Continue reading
Most studies of gravestone art tend to focus on memorials created by the more skilled masons and elaborate on their artistic or aesthetic qualities. Similarly, the few works that discuss tombstone lettering place strong emphasis on those that are considered to be of some artistic or creative merit and ignore those that are by less … Continue reading
The graveyards of Britain and Ireland contain a wealth of culturally important material in the form of gravemarkers. The of choice lettering, style, interpretation and layout tells us much about the individuals who carved the letters, their skill and both the historical and cultural context within which the inscriptions were crafted. Lettering on gravemarkers is … Continue reading
Louis Colas was a French archaeologist who, at the beginning of the twentieth century, travelled throughout the French Basque region on foot, bicycle and mule studying, measuring and drawing funerary memorials and other artefacts of historical interest. His main focus was on gravemarkers, especially the characteristic Basque discoid stelae which abound in south-western France. He … Continue reading
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