Catafalque

Catafalque (Ital. catafalco, 'a scaffold'), a temporary structure of carpentry, a kind of baldachin, intended to represent a tomb, and placed over the coffin of distinguished persons during the funeral rites that precede interment, as also sometimes over the grave, where it was usually left for several months. The most splendid on record was Michael Angelo's, which was adorned by the greatest architects, sculptors, and painters of the day.