Arguably the most important Medieval works to come to market in recent memory, the last two mourners in private hands from the tomb of Jean de France (1340-1416), duc de Berry, will be offered at Christie’s, Paris on 15 June. The alabaster figures formed part of a procession of 40 mourners around the base of the tomb, made by Jean de Cambrai between 1396 and 1416 in Bourges, France. During the French Revolution, the tomb was vandalised and the mourners destroyed or scattered. Today 29 have been identified, with most in institutions including the Louvre, Paris and the Metropolitan Museum, New York. These mourners have been in a French family’s collection since 1807 and are estimated at between €4.5m and €5.5m.
