Eleanor and Henry

Nothing about their side-by-side tombs suggests the stormy relationship of Eleanor of Aquitaine and King Henry II of England. Their effigies, carved of limestone and walnut, suggest peace and piety. How does Eleanor’s book help project this image? What do you suppose she is reading? The placement of the couple’s tombs also attests to their religious fervor: they were buried in the powerful monastery of Fontevraud, a “double monastery” that housed (in separate quarters) both monks and nuns. An abbess presided over all. (Hervé Champollion / © Cephas Picture Library / Alamy.)