What were weepers on Gothic tombs?

In the context of Gothic art, weepers were small statues of figures in mourning that decorated the sides of a tomb chest, typically placed within niches.12

These figures were popularized by the masons of King Louis IX in the years following 1260. They often represented members of the deceased's family, who were presumed to be in mourning. By the early 14th century, the iconography evolved to include representations of heavily cloaked and cowled professional mourners, reflecting the figures who were traditionally employed to follow a coffin during a funeral procession.2