O'Tunney

Irish family of sculptors. These stone-carvers were active during the early 16th century in the Ossory region, centred on Kilkenny, the seat of the Anglo-Norman Butler family (later the Dukes of Ormonde). The O'Tunneys were exceptional in Ireland in signing their work. Their workshop was the earliest in Ossory and the most sustained; they were patronized by the local nobility and gentry. The tombs they carved have similarities to those in the Pale around Dublin; the O'Tunneys' work is more varied than that of the Ormonde school. For St Canice's Cathedral, Kilkenny, the workshop carved a number of knightly effigies, such as the effigy of James Schorthals (1507); they also carved the double Purcell tomb in St John's Priory, Kilkenny. The seemingly archaic style of armour worn by the three effigies reflects the practice of warfare in Ireland. Most of the effigies are mounted on tomb chests, usually decorated with apostles. There is a marked contrast between the very conservative, almost Romanesque, figure carving and the elegant, stylized foliage carved in shallow relief.

See the Abbreviations for further details.