The Polish putto & skull on Renaissance funeral monuments to children: rudiments of laughter, grotesque bodies & mythic boundaries *

In Renaissance Poland there was a tradition, unique at the time, of commemorating children by erecting funeral monuments. Many of these monuments depict the child as a sleeping putto. The significance of the sleeping putto motif is explored within the framework of carnival laughter and the grotesque, which were widely known and appreciated during the Renaissance, not least through the work of Rabelais. Sublimated gaiety and feasting, long associated with funeral rituals, contributed to the concept of triumph over death, thereby enhancing the role of the monuments as vehicles for reconciliation, by aiding resolution of the grieving process. The grotesque body (putto‐and‐skull motif) also assisted by acting as a vehicle for displacement. Those who engage with the grotesque image are moved to the mythic boundary, where they are able to perceive and consequently accept the unpalatable truth (subversive death of a child and consequent loss), thereby achieving the grace of redemption.