The Worlds of Katherine Kurtz

https://flic.kr/s/aHskyHKJCh

I love the side view of the pall!

I'm not sure I would not have preferred something a little more medieval traditional, but it might not have resonated with our more modern world. 

My DH agreed with you and thought it far too stark. I really liked the simplicity and the incised cross a symbol both of Richard's faith and the violent death he suffered. I couldn't really get a picture of the context, but the tomb is in a medieval church (made a Cathedral in the 1920's when Leicester became a city) and the stone is surrounded by banners at each corner. It is in effect a shrine although they are being careful not to say that.

If you hear of earthquakes at Windsor it's because the Tudors are revolving in their graves.

Rather startlingly this year has seen a dramatic reversal in the usually dismal performance of Leicester City Football club so maybe Richard is modern enough to take an interest in Association football!

 ;D hmm  So, Leicester City Football club is enjoying a insurgence of energy. If the Cathedral lawn gets chrurned up every now and then , we will know the cause.   ;D

I love the battle standard.

I am not sure I understand the modern figures on the pall.  Is the discovery of his remains more important than the story of the man's life? Should not that be the depiction on the side of the pall? Seems curious to me.

I think the pall depicts modern figures because the story of the finding of his body is quite a dramatic and powerful one, and is all based around Leicester.

I think it doesn't depict his life for a number of reasons:
The issue of who killed the princes in the tower is still unsolved, and therefore there is some controversy surrounding Richard's life. It was also a sad life spent in a time of civil war and his beloved wife and son predeceased him.

The other reason is another controversy - this time a modern one. The majority of Richard's adult life (he died aged 32) was spent in Yorkshire - it's arguable he was the last ruler of England whose power base was in the north - and York Minister argued fiercely that he should be buried there. It actually went to Court with the Judge commenting that we weren't fighting the wars of the roses over again! I don't think Leicester Cathedral would want to focus too much on anything involving Yorkshire. Having said that there are a couple of lovely new stained glass windows in the area containing the tomb which depict some of the events in Richard's life - the light was in the wrong place for me to get a picture of them.

I think it's very elegant.  I don't presume to know what Richard himself would think, but I hope he'd like it.  :)  I hope at least he's pleased to be properly buried.