Nearly four metres tall and constructed from plaster over a wooden frame, it carries no inscription at all. No epitaph, no verse, no declaration of virtues. What it does carry is a programme of figures, skulls, crossbones, rosettes, and heraldic shields arranged across two storeys with the careful ambition of a small altarpiece, quietly marking the death of Sir William Sparke, who died in 1632.

Mural monuments of this kind, wall-mounted memorial compositions typically combining architectural framing with figurative relief, were fashionable among the Dublin merchant and civic classes in the early seventeenth century. This one is bipartite at both levels: the upper storey is divided into two round-headed recesses by three composite columns, and the figures within them kneel at prie-dieus, the small devotional kneelers associated with private prayer. On the left side a bearded male figure and a lady appear in demi-relief; below them, a male figure kneels on a cushion. The right side has suffered damage, but appears to show male and female figures in corresponding positions, with three female figures occupying the lower right register. A rectangular apron at the base is decorated with a winged skull, crossbones, and rosettes alongside a T-shaped moulding and two pendant brackets. Above everything, a panelled frieze and triangular pediment carry three shields. The whole composition measures 2.62 metres wide.

St Audeon's stands on High Street, close to the old city walls of medieval Dublin, and is generally considered the oldest surviving medieval parish church in the city. The church is partly in State care and partly still in use as a Roman Catholic church, so access arrangements can vary depending on the time of year and which section you are visiting. The Sparke monument is in the nave of the older, Church of Ireland section, which is managed by the Office of Public Works. When you do get inside, give your eyes a moment to adjust to the interior light before looking to the north wall; the monument is large enough that it dominates its corner, but the plasterwork detail rewards closer attention, particularly the winged skull on the apron and the delicate leafy sprays carved onto the brackets between the two storeys.