Church Monuments Society

Sculpting in stone a family identity: The Beaumont tombs and the political context of thirteenth-century Maine: Since their discovery in the remains of the Abbey of Étival (Maine) in the late nineteenth century, the tombs attributed to members of the Beaumont family have mostly been approached stylistically in an effort to date them. Given the lack of consensus that resulted from this approach, this lecture reconsider the evidence by giving greater attention to the historical situation of the County of Maine between the late twelfth and early fourteenth century. By insisting on the tension of political allegiances, Marcoux proposes a new chronology of the Beaumont tombs (including those that were lost), one which reflects an ongoing effort to define and promote the family identity.

Robert Marcoux is Associate Professor of Art History at the Department of Historical Sciences at Université Laval in Québec. His research interests focus on the theories, uses and functions of images in the medieval West from the 4th to 15th centuries. His work deals mostly with tomb sculpture, macabre imagery and representations of the body.

Event Information

This online talk is FREE to all and will take place on Zoom. Places must be booked via Eventbrite – go to https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sculpting-family-identity-the-beaumont-tombs-of-13th-century-maine-tickets-536171843417 to register. This is one of a series of online talks delivered by the Church Monuments Society for Spring 2023. For information on the rest of the series and on other events, go to https://churchmonumentssociety.org/events.

JOINING INSTRUCTIONS: You should receive a link from Eventbrite two days before the event, two hours before the event, and just as the event begins. If you have not received the link, contact us via Eventbrite so we can try to resolve this.

Guidelines and handy Zoom hints

Before the event:

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• Make sure you have registered via Eventbrite using your correct email address (or you will not receive the joining instructions).
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During the webinar:

• Please remain muted throughout.
• The talk will last approximately 45 minutes and will be followed by questions.
• You are welcome to use the Chat box to contact panellists.
• Send formal questions for the speaker using the Q&A function so that they are easily identifiable. These can then be put to the speaker by one of our event coordinators.
• The session may be recorded by the Church Monuments Society. Screenshots and/or recording by participants is not permitted for copyright reasons.
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• If you experience technical difficulties, contact panellists using the chat function. We will do our best to help.
• Enjoy the talk!