Inscription
- Place of origin:
England, Great Britain (made)
- Date:
- Artist/Maker:
- Materials and Techniques:
- Museum number:
- Gallery location:
British Galleries, room 58c, case WS
- Download image
Object Type
Brasses such as these were used to commemorate prominent local families and were usually set in the floor of their parish church.
Materials & Making
Brasses were cast in flat plates then cut to shape and engraved. The engraved lines were often filled with coloured composition to give them greater emphasis.
Subjects Depicted
The main inscribed brass reads: 'Of your charity pray for the soul of Henry Fayrey and Agnes his wife which lyeth buried under this stone, and the said Henry deceased the 28th Day of December 1516'. The main figures are all depicted wearing shrouds. The complete brass would have had an additional plate showing a group of daughters and four roundels.
Places
This group of monumental brasses came from a variety of different sources - some were acquired from a butcher in Derbyshire and others from London dealers. They all came originally from Dunstable Priory Church in Bedfordshire. The elements were probably widely scattered after destruction during the Reformation and the English Civil War of 1642-1646.
Place of Origin
England, Great Britain (made)
Date
ca. 1516 (made)
Artist/maker
Unknown (production)
Materials and Techniques
Engraved brass
Marks and inscriptions
Inscribed 'Off yo[ur] charite p[ra]y for the soule of henry Fayrey & Agnes his wife the which lyeth buried under this stone & the said henri decessid the XXVIII dai of december A[nno]o.d[omi]ni MoCCCCoXVI'
Dimensions
Height: 8.5 cm, Width: 48.7 cm, Depth: 0.5 cm
Object history note
From Dunstable Priory Church, Bedfordshire. Made in England
V&A Exhibition RF.2003/51
Descriptive line
Fayrey - Brass Inscription
Exhibition History
Gothic: Art for England 1400-1547 (Victoria and Albert Museum 09/10/2003-18/01/2004)
Labels and date
British Galleries:
MONUMENTAL BRASSES of the Fayrey Family
The Fayreys are depicted wrapped in their funeral shrouds. The shrouds were knotted at the head, wrapped around the body and tied at the feet before burial. The inscription refers to the Catholic practice of praying for the souls of the dead to shorten their time in purgatory. Henry and Agnes's five sons are shown on one brass and there was originally a similar group of their daughters. [27/03/2003]
Henry and Agnes Fayrey with their sons
About 1516
Henry and Agnes Fayrey, dressed in their finery on the funeral pall, are here shown naked in their burial shrouds. Their eyes are open and their hands raised in supplication. It is the very moment of their resurrection and Last Judgement.
Latten
Made in London by the 'F' workshop
Formerly in the priory church of St. Peter, Dunstable, Bedfordshire
V&A: M.126, 127-1922, M.2267-1931, M.33-1932
Cat. 350 [2003]
Categories
Metalwork; Christianity; Death
Collection code
MET
