The death of a queen in childbirth in 1156 and the grief of her bereaved husband are represented on her sarcophagus. His lamentation, reenacted in the reliefs, constitutes a prayer for her soul and a device to assure the salvation of both queen and king. As part of Blanca's memorialization, the sculpture describes her salvation in feminized terms; the value of a good mother and her sacrifice are expressed by interweaving images of maternity, martyrdom, and judgment. Court culture, and ...