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The Layer monument is an early 17th-century polychrome marble mural monument (320 × 350 cm) erected in the memory of the merchant Christopher Layer (1531–1600), and located in the Church of Saint John the Baptist,
The four figurines of The Layer Quaternity share a number of iconographical details with those found in an illustration in ''Alchemia'' (1606) by the German academic Andreas Libavius in its chapter entitled ''De Lapide Philosophorum'' ( The Philosophers' Stone). These include - an identical pairing of a lower, mortal pair with an immortal pair, a bare-legged male with a draped female above, the titulary captions of ''Gloria'' and ''Labor'', a palm branch, the sun and moon, and a rotundum.
Symbolically, the Layer Quaternity correspond to the alchemical "deities" of
The Layer monument is an early 17th-century polychrome marble mural monument (320 × 350 cm) erected in the memory of the merchant Christopher Layer (1531–1600), and located in the Church of Saint John the Baptist, Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...
.
Inscription
Its inscription is in Latin, and reads in translation:Interpretation
The monument is notable on two accounts, firstly, its four figurines housed in its two columns, ''Pax'' and ''Gloria'', ''Vanitas'' and ''Labor'', are relatively rare examples ofNorthern Mannerist
Northern Mannerism is the form of Mannerism found in the visual arts north of the Alps in the 16th and early 17th centuries. Styles largely derived from Italian Mannerism were found in the Netherlands and elsewhere from around the mid-century, es ...
sculpture extant in Britain; secondly, these four figurines exemplify how, during the era of Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...
, Christian iconography occasionally integrated symbolism which originated from the western esoteric
Western esotericism, also known as the Western mystery tradition, is a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas and currents are united since they are largely distinct both from orthod ...
traditions of alchemy
Alchemy (from the Arabic word , ) is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practised in China, India, the Muslim world, and Europe. In its Western form, alchemy is first ...
and astrology
Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that propose that information about human affairs and terrestrial events may be discerned by studying the apparent positions ...
into works of art, including funerary monuments.
The Layer Quaternity
The four figurines of The Layer Quaternity share a number of iconographical details with those found in an illustration in ''Alchemia'' (1606) by the German academic Andreas Libavius in its chapter entitled ''De Lapide Philosophorum'' ( The Philosophers' Stone). These include - an identical pairing of a lower, mortal pair with an immortal pair, a bare-legged male with a draped female above, the titulary captions of ''Gloria'' and ''Labor'', a palm branch, the sun and moon, and a rotundum.
Symbolically, the Layer Quaternity correspond to the alchemical "deities" of Apollo
Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...
, Luna
Luna commonly refers to:
* Earth's Moon, named "Luna" in Latin, Spanish and other languages
* Luna (goddess)
In Sabine and ancient Roman religion and myth, Luna is the divine embodiment of the Moon (Latin ''Lūna'' ). She is often presented as t ...
, Mercurius and Vulcan as named in ''Atalanta Fugiens
''Atalanta Fugiens'' or ''Atalanta Fleeing'' is an emblem book with an alchemical theme by Michael Maier (1568–1622), published by Johann Theodor de Bry in Oppenheim in 1617 (2nd edition 1618). It consists of 50 discourses with illustrat ...
'' (1617) by the German alchemist-physician Michael Maier (Emblem XVII).
Collectively the Layer Quaternity are a unique alchemical mandala
A mandala (, ) is a geometric configuration of symbols. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and adepts, as a spiritual guidance tool, for establishing a sacred space and as an aid ...
. Through polarized symbolism they delineate essential coordinates associated with Mandala art, namely Space (Heaven and Earth) and Time (Young and Old). Utilizing variety and multiplicity, key attributes of Northern Mannerist art, they also represent fundamental aspects of the human condition, namely, gender, youth and age, pleasure and suffering. A fifth, uniting symbol, a skull, is located at the very centre of the monument. The skull is the commonest of all ''memento mori
(Latin for "remember (that you have) to die")
'' symbols in funerary art
Funerary art is any work of art forming, or placed in, a repository for the remains of the death, dead. The term encompasses a wide variety of forms, including cenotaphs ("empty tombs"), tomb-like monuments which do not contain human remains, a ...
. It was also defined as the philosophical vessel (''Vas Philosophorum'') in Renaissance-era alchemy.
The role of the Quaternity in religious symbolism is discussed in depth in the writings of the Swiss psychologist Carl Gustav Jung
Carl Gustav Jung ( ; ; 26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and psychologist who founded the school of analytical psychology. A prolific author of over 20 books, illustrator, and correspondent, Jung was a ...
. In essence, the Layer monument's four figurines represent spiritual entities which agree with Jung's analytical psychology, that the psyche moves toward individuation in fours (made up of pairs of opposites).
See also
*Northern Mannerism
Northern Mannerism is the form of Mannerism found in the visual arts north of the Alps in the 16th and early 17th centuries. Styles largely derived from Italian Mannerism were found in the Netherlands and elsewhere from around the mid-century, es ...
References
External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Layer Monument 1600s sculptures Sculptures in England Funerary art Buildings and structures in Norwich Hermeticism Luna (goddess) Marble sculptures in the United Kingdom Apollo in art Mercury (mythology)