Anonymous: Grave monuments of the Von dem Burgtorn family (16th century)

(Liebfrauenkirche, Koblenz, Germany)

A set of three grave monuments for a German family. These monuments are for the von dem Burgtorn family, a powerful family from Koblenz. The family got its name from their house - a former tower of the Roman castle of Koblenz ('burgtor' means ' castle-gate' in German). Depicted from left to right:

- Reinhart von dem Burgtorn (...- 1517). An official of the Elector of Trier and one of the leading men of Koblenz. He welcomed the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I of Habsburg when he visited Koblenz on his journey to Trier. His monument has four coat-of-arms in the corners. Above: von dem burgtorn (links) and von Gerolstein, below: von Eltz (links) and von Waldeck

- Guta von dem Burgtorn (...-1533), born as Guta Blanckarts. Wife of Reinhart. After the death of Reinhart she married Johan Hoffmann. The dog at her feet is a symbol of loyalty

- Otto Joachim von dem Burgtorn (....-1547). Son of Reinhart and Guta and married Anna Boos von Waldeck.

The men are depicted in knights armor - this does not represents their actual battle armor but is a symbol of their high ranking social status and their knight. Their folded hands shows that each of them is a pious person and turned their attention to God. Graves from the 16th century.