A stand on which a corpse is placed in preparation for burial or to be carried in a funeral procession. In Renaissance sculpted funerary monuments, the effigy of the deceased is usually shown lying on a bier, as in Bernardo Rossellino's Tomb of Chancellor Leonardo Bruni (c. 1445) and Desiderio da Settignano's Tomb of Chancellor Carlo Marsuppini (1453), both at Santa Croce, Florence. In both monuments, the bier is placed above the sarcophagus, with angels at either side holding an inscription with laudatory remarks on the virtues and accomplishments of the deceased.
Historical dictionary of Renaissance art. Lilian H. Zirpolo. 2008.