Seventeenth century patriarchs of the wealthy Fettiplace family, wearing gilded Carolean armour, lie relaxed, propped on their elbows, on tiered shelves in St Mary’s Parish Church at Swinbrook in the Windrush Valley in Oxfordshire, England, UK. The lavish 1686 Baroque monument contrasts with a 1613 predecessor housing three earlier Fettiplace men lying stiffly in unadorned Tudor armour.
Swinbrook, Oxfordshire, England, UK: three 17th century heads of the wealthy Fettiplace family are honoured in grandiose Baroque style in the chancel of the Parish Church of St. Mary the Virgin, their recumbent effigies looking relaxed as they lie wearing gilded Carolean armour, propped on their right elbows, in a triple tier of shelves installed after the death of Sir Edmund Fettiplace in 1686. Sir Edmund occupies the top shelf, while below him lie Sir John Fettiplace (d. 1672) and John Fettiplace (d. 1657). The elaborate monument is a striking reminder that the Fettiplace dynasty was once one of the richest and most powerful families in Oxfordshire. They were lords of the manor of Swinbrook, and at one time owned estates in 15 other English counties. Despite their wealth and influence in Tudor and Stuart times, the last member of the dynasty died in 1805 and there is now no trace of their vast mansion at Swinbrook, in the picturesque Windrush Valley. The elaborate monument by William Byrd or Bird of Oxford (1624-c. 1691), official mason to Oxford University, contrasts with the simpler and more austere style of the nearby 1613 memorial to three earlier Fettiplace generations. In the space of 70 years, the style of the tiered monuments changed from undecorated Renaissance sculpture to the rich ornamentation associated with the post-English Civil War reign of King Charles II. The earlier monument was commissioned by Sir Edmund Fettiplace (died 1613) for himself, his father William (d. 1562) and his grandfather Alexander (d. 1565). Their effigies, sculpted by a local mason, wear Tudor armour with no gilding as they lie stiffly on their shelves, also propped on their elbows.
Size: 2832px × 4256px
Location: Swinbrook, Oxfordshire, England, UK.
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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