`08, 25 September 2010 (UTC)  == Understanding the effigy ==  Effbr:  I was just wondering if you understand the symbolism in the effigy.  I understand some, but most (such as why he seems to be stepping on the lamb, etc) I do not understand and would be fascinated to know.  You seem to have alot of knowledge in that area, would you share it?  I know absolutely nothing of Geoffroi II and little about his father other than what he writes in his books and what I researched and put on the website.    :Symbolism in effigies is a difficult subject. Unfortunately I'm not very knowledgeable on it, my focus is on costume. I do know that the Victorians made many claims about the meaning of certain postures and other elements, later proven to be quite incorrect. The beast at the foot of many monuments evolved from the need to integrate a ``footrest`` for the deceased. Finally, keep in mind that funerary monuments of the medieval period were not personalized. It is thought they were produced from templates (especially brasses) to meet expanding market demand. They are not modeled upon the likeness of the deceased. Personalized features are generally limited to a) heraldry/crests and b) status symbols (collars, garters) - at least well into the 15th century (I don't profess to know anything about monuments past 1450). :One other note, effigy, in this field, normally denotes a sculpture, not a flat piece. Effigies and monumental brasses are of the class church monuments. There is a third common type, the incised slab (no page here on Wikipedia) that was popular on the continent but not England.   00:`