Posted in Cemetery Sculpture, Symbolism, tagged harrisburg, harrisburg cemetery, hourglass, pennsylvania, sculpture, symbolism, symbols, winged hourglass, wings on October 8, 2016| Leave a Comment »
The winged hourglass is a symbol of mortality, but it is a much rarer find than a weeping willow or an urn. Imagine my delight when I found multiple examples in the Olmstead family plot in Harrisburg Cemetery.
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A winged hourglass adorns each step down to the family plot.
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Posted in Cemetery Sculpture, Symbolism, tagged carlisle, columbus, grave art, hourglass, ohio, old carlisle cemetery, pennsylvania, sculpture, sundial, symbolism, union cemetery, winged hourglass, wings on July 8, 2010| 2 Comments »
The winged hourglass is one of the rarest but clearest symbols of mortality in a cemetery. Time flies, it cautions us, this life is but a brief span. Be prepared always for death.
David and Juliana Watts of Carlisle could not have communicated it better if they had selected a version of the classic New England epitaph for their memorial:
Remember me as you pass by,
As you are now, so once was I,
As I am now, so you will be,
Prepare for death and follow me.
Yet while the message of the winged hourglass can be quite serious, its gravity is lightened by its own visual pun. The designer of the Gaddis family monument in Columbus’ Union Cemetery was not all solemnity. The memorial contains an actual timekeeper in the form of a sundial atop the column that informs us playfully “I count none but sunny hours.” I trust that that is absolutely true.
Posted in Cemetery Sculpture, Symbolism, tagged architecture, circle, cobra, egyptian, egyptian revival, grave art, lakeview cemetery, ohio, snake, sun, wings on June 20, 2010| Leave a Comment »
In the mid-19th century, strange architectural designs started appearing in American cemeteries. Copying the ancient Egyptian temples and tombs, American architects created monuments and mausoleums that harkened back to those pre-Christian ideas of death and rebirth. The Egyptian revival movement spawned a plethora of monuments with images like the circle with vulture wings (sun), twin cobras (death), Sphinxes, and even hieroglyphics. Lake View Cemetery has a number of examples.
The winged circle and cobras are clearly visible on the King mausoleum just above the door. Ignoring the snow, one could easily see that entrance on an ancient Egyptian building.
The Pollock mausoleum has the same set of symbols and column-edged entrance.
The Towslee monument lacks the columns but still has the cobras and sun.
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A Grave Concern 