The funerary monument of John Evans-Freke, sixth Baron Carbery, located inside the cathedral church of St Fachtna, Rosscarbery, Co. Cork . The monument is in two parts, one being this life-size marble statue of the deceased dressed in doublet and hose. Carved by Belgian sculptor Guillaume Geefs, the figure is complemented by a wall monument featuring an angel ready with his trumpet to summon the peer (whose coat of arms can also be seen) at Last Judgement. Below a long encomium assures readers that Lord Carbery’s ‘active usefulness and pious liberality are attested by this church which was built through his exertions.’ The church in question is that at Rathbarry, formerly part of the Castlefreke estate. Now a ruin, it closed in 1927, at which date the monument was moved to its present site.
Divine!!
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Do we know if Geefs ever visited Ireland? I believe his wife was of Irish decent. I have never seen these monuments in the flesh, but the Angel appears to be very finely carved.
Name: GEEFS, GUILLAUME *#
Building: CO. CORK, RATHBARRY, CHURCH (CI)
Date: 1848
Nature: Monument to 6th Earl of Carbery, erected, 1848. Moved to cathedral church of St Fachtna, Rosscarbery, Co. Cork, 1927
Refs: JCHAS (1924), 37; Charles A. Webster, The Cathedral of St Fachtna, Ross (1927), ?; Homan Potterton, Irish Church Monuments.
A fine monument, particularly the alegorical angel with the trumpet an echo of funeral baroque sculpture. The fact that the sculptor was Belgian highlights a recurrent theme in British art that is the lack of first class native sculptors, a fact due, most probably, to the little interest in sculpture as a main branch of the Fine Arts in contrast to the Continent where it was always popular.
Well, not altogether true: in mid-18th century Ireland we had John van Nost who produced a number of splendid funerary monuments, and then there is the Dartrey Mausoleum in County Monaghan with its wonderful statuary by Joseph Wilton…
Irishaesthete = Thank you for the information, if we are inclined to, we can always learn something interesting, I will search for these Irish sculptors you have mentioned, By the way: Merry Christmas
Likewise – and Happy New Year…
Merry Christmas Robert! We’re heading down Castle Freke direction so will pop in and view these in Rosscarbery. Thanks for all the interesting posts and best wishes for 2018.