Online Study Guide Chapter 10
The appearance of tombs and the concept of an afterlife signal the basis of a formal
religion. Funerary art honors the dead, are often displays of wealth and power, and can
prepare the dead for the afterlife.
The earliest tombs are shaped like mounds or mountains. Their locations usually have
symbolic significance.
Ancient Burials
Figure 10-1, Newgrange, County Meath, Ireland, 3200 BC.
This mound tomb is composed of stones and covered with grass. A small passageway at
the base of the mound leads to a cross-shaped inner tomb where five bodies were buried.
1. Newgrange Passage Tomb
Stonehenge (Fig. 9.24, page 221) is an example of a monolithic rock structure, dating
from the same era as Newgrange.
Figure 10-2, Great Pyramids, Gizeh, Egypt, Menkaure c. 2525-2475 BC, Khafre c. 25752525 BC, Khufu c. 2600-2550 BC.
The Great Pyramids occupy a city for the dead on the west bank of the Nile. Pharaohs,
believed to be sons of the Sun God, Re, are mummified and prepared their afterlife.
These pyramids are solid stone construction, requiring an amazing collective effort by
skilled workers and slaves. (See also figure 5.1)
1. NOVA Online: The Pyramids
2. The Great Pyramids at Gizeh, approach from the desert
Furnished Tombs
Some religions believe the dead continue to live after death. These tombs of high-ranking
persons are furnished with food, furniture, and servants for the comfort of their afterlives.
Figure 10-3, Innermost Coffin of Tutankhamen, Thebes, c. 1325 BC. Gold with enamel
and semiprecious stones, 6'1" long.
Tutankhamen's tomb is the only pharaoh's tomb to be discovered in modern times
relatively intact. The innermost coffin is made of gold and jewels. The coffin includes a
portrait of the pharaoh to serve as a substitute"body" for the returning spirit should
something happen to the body.
1. Tutankhamen's Tomb
Figure 10-4, Fowling Scene from the Tomb of Nebamun, Thebes, c. 1400-1350 BC. Paint
on dry plaster, approx. 32" high.
Paintings on tomb walls depict earthly pleasures. The relative size of the central figure
and his stylized rendering indicate a person of high rank.
1. Fowling Scene, wall painting from Thebes
Figure 10-5, Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut, Deir el-Bahri, c. 14490-1460 BC.
Hetshepsut's temple, carved into a cliff face, once included a large garden. Her successor
pillaged the temple and destroyed all portraits of her after her death.
1. Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut
2. Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut
Etruscan Tombs
Figure 10-6, Sarcophagus with Reclining Couple, Cerveteri, Etruria (Italy) c. 520 BC.
Painted terracotta, 45.5" tall.
Etruscan mound graves were clustered in cities of the dead. Tombs recreated typical
Etruscan homes. Despite a generalization of their features, the couple conveys an
alertness, vigor, and happiness.
1. Estruscan Virtual Art Museum
2. Detail from the Sarcophagus
Figure 10-7, Banqueters and Musicains from the Tomb of the Leopards, Tarquinia,
Etruria (Italy) c. 480-470 BC. Funerary wall painting.
The joys of life are emphasized in Etruscan tomb art. This painting depicts banqueters
enjoying food and music.
1. Banqueters and Musicians from the Tomb of the Leopards, Tarquinia, Etruria c. 480470 BC
Funeral Complex of Shi Huangdi
Emperor Shi Huangdi unified China by eradicating his rivals, homoginizing Chinese
culture, and initiating a series of monumental building projects like the Great Wall of
China. He also built a sprawling funeral complex for himself that has been only partially
excavated.
Figure 10-8, Soldiers in Pit 1, near the tomb of Shi Huangdi, Shaanxi, China, c. 221-206
BC. Average figure height 5'9".
An army of life-size terracotta soldiers guard the funeral palace. They were once painted
and held weapons in their hands.
1. Soldiers from the tomb of Shi Huangdi, Shaanxi, China.
Figure 10-9, Infantry General, painted ceramic, 6'4" tall, from the tomb of Shi Huangdi.
While their bodies are simplified and were mass-produced, each terracotta head is
individualized. This soldier is thought to be the army commander.
1. Shi Huangdi, Ruler of the Qin Dynasty
2. Cavalryman and horse from the tomb of Shi Huangdi
Royal Tombs of the Moche Civilization
The Moche was a thriving civilization, building temples, palaces, and adobe pyramids.
Warrior priests most likely held the highest rank among Moche society. These warrior
priests were responsible for ritual human sacrifices.
Figure 10-10, Mannequin dressed in replica of some of the objects found in Tomb 1,
Moche Civilization, Peru, c. 300.
This mannequin displays a sample of the funeral garb found in the Royal Tomb of Sipan.
1. The Lord of Sipan, gold garments
2. Peruvian examples of gold and garments
Figure 10-11, Peanut Necklace, Moche Civilization, Peru, c. 300. Gold and silver
necklace from the Royal Tomb of Sipan, 20” diameter. Musdeo Archeologico Nacional
Bruning de Lambayeque, Peru.
1. Warrior Ear Ornament, restored. From Royal Tomb at Sipan.
Viking Ship Burial
As maritime raiders in life, Viking tombs reflect their close relationship with the sea.
Figure 10-12, Viking Ship, from Oseberg ship burial, Norway, early 9th century. Oak, 65
feet long.
This Viking ship was discovered in a high-ranking woman's mound tomb. It contained
two bodies, numerous art and utilitarian objects, and animal remains.
1. Viking Ship from the Oseberg ship burial
During the first millennium BC, tombs began to be conceptualized as monuments to the
dead rather than being dwellings for the dead. The ancient Greeks created some of the
first elaborate mausolea exalting the powerful. Urban growth in Europe prompted the
development of cemeteries catering to the middle class.
Figure 10-13, Grave stele of Hegeso, from the Dipylon cemetery, Athens, Greece, c. 410400 BC. Marble, 5'2" high.
Ancient Greek grave markers tend to depict quiet, domestic scenes. This relief originally
had been painted.
1. Grave stele of Hegeso, from the Dipylon cemetery, Athens
Figure 10-14, Funerary Relief of a Circus Official, Ostia, Italy, 110-130 AD. Marble, 20
inches high.
The Romans considered funerary monuments expressions of family honor and status.
This circus official holds hands with a woman standing on a pedestal, signaling that she
was his dead wife.
1. Funerary Relief of a Circus Official
Realistic portraiture was important because respected ancestors raised the status of
the living Romans, as discussed in Art and History in Context, page 268. For an
example of nonidealized Roman portraiture, see Statue of Togato Barberini (Fig.
14.12)
Christian Burials
Many early Christians were buried underneath churches in a system of tombs called
catacombs. Chapels were built in the catacombs when Roman persecution forced services
underground. Remains of Christian martyrs became highly sought-after fetish objects.
Figure 10-15, Ceiling painting from the Catacomb of Sts. Peter and Marcellinus, Rome,
early 4th century.
Mortuary chapels were often painted with uplifting Christian and pastoral themes.
Backgrounds were white to counter the darkness of the windowless chapels.
1. Fresco from Catacomb of Commodilla of Maria Regina and Child and SS. Felix and
Damian, 6th c. (Rome).
Figure 10-16, Baldacchino, Gianlorenzo Bernini, St. Peter's Rome, Italy, 1624-1633.
Gilded bronze, 100 feet high.
An ornate canopy called a Baldacchino marks the site of St. Peter's tomb. Its design
recalls the cloth canopies once used to cover early Christian martyrs.
1. Baldacchino
Later Christian art became much more formalized, rigid in design and aweinspiring in
Figure 10-17, Chapel of Henry VII, Westminster Abby, England, 1503-19.
size, as seen in the detail of the Deesis Mosaic from Hagia Sophia in Istanbul (Fig.
2.15).
Henry VII paid to have a separate chapel built for him and his wife at Westminster Abbey
in London. It is built in English Perpendicular style, a variation on the Gothic style.
1. The Lady Chapel
Compare the French Gothic cathedral emphasis on verticality with the elaborate
Perpendicular style of the Chapel of Henry VII. See Chartres Cathedral, Figures 9.36
and 9.37, page 233.
Islamic Mausolea
Wealthy Muslims were sometimes buried in mausolea adjoining mosques.
In the manuscript painting Babur Supervising the Layout of the Garden of Fidelity
Figure 10-18, Taj Mahal, Agra, India. 1632-1654.
(Figure 15.15, page 413), we see an example of a walled garden from Persia.
The Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal. The mausoeum sits
1. Gardens of the Mughal Empire
at the north end of a garden, and symbolizes the throne of God in the garden of Paradise.
1. Explore the Taj Mahal, Agra, India
2. Another view of the Taj Mahal
3. Exterior detail of the Taj Mahal
4. Detail of a carved wall from the Taj Mahal
5. Interior detail, inlaid and carved marble
Body parts and possessions belonging to deceased holy persons are sometime separated
from the corpse and kept in small shrines called reliquaries.
Figure 10-19, Reliquary Arm. Silver over oak; hand: bronze-gilt; appliqué plaques: silvergilt, niello, and cabochon stones; 25 ½" x 6 ½" x 4". Mosan (Belgium), c. 1230. The
Cloisters Collection, 1947.
Medieval Christian churches sought to attract pilgrims by acquiring body parts or pieces
of clothing from saints. Reliquaries often had sculptural representations of the body part
contained within.
1. Examine a variety of silver and gold reliquaries at this site
2. Bust Reliquary of St. Benedict
3. 14th century gold and jewel encrusted reliquary
Figure 10-20, Reliquary Guardian Figure, Gabon, Africa. Wood, brass, 24" high.
This reliquary sculpture was placed in a bag or basket containing ancestral long bones.
The figure embodied the spirits of dead ancestors and was used in ceremonial
performances.
1. Reliquary figure from Gabon
Modern Cemeteries
Churches in cities ran out of room during the Industrial Revolution. European
governments authorized the construction of suburban, nondenominational cemeteries.
Figure 10-21, Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris, France, opened 1804.
The Père Lachaise Cemetery was influenced by the Romantic movement, which
emphasized pastoral simplicity. Owners of funeral plots could mark graves any way they
wished, resulting in a very eclectic mix of monuments.
1. Walkway at Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris
2. Pere Lachaise Cemetery
Figure 10-22, Ophelia, John Everett Millais, England, 1852. Oil on canvas, 30" x 44".
Romantic art like Millais' Ophelia emphasizes the beauty of nature and a lyrical view of
death.
1. John Everett Millais, Ophelia, 1852, Tate Gallery, London.
2. Millais' Study for Ophelia
Contemporary Memorial Art and Practices
Memorial art serves social and political functions.
Figure 10-23, Dia de Los Muertos, Diego Rivera, fresco, south wall, Court of Fiestas,
Ministry of Education, Mexico City, 1923.
Rivera was commissioned by the Mexican government to paint a mural on Day of the
Dead festivities. We can see from the crowds of people and the skeletons playing
instruments that a day dedicated to death is a very lively affair.
1. Detail from Rivera's Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Park
2. View images from the Patio of Fiestas, third wall
Figure 10-24, Helmet Mask (Tatanua), Oceania, 19th century. Northern New Ireland,
Papua New Guinea. Wood, paint, natural fibers, and opercula shells. 15 ¼” x 9 ½” x 12”.
1. Malagan and Other New Ireland Art
Figure 10-25, Mausoleum of Mao Zedong, Tienamen Square, Beijing, China. Late 20th
century.
The tomb of the communist leader is located in the middle of Tienamen Square, which
faces the Forbidden City. The location of Mao's mausoleum seeks to affirm his regime as
the legitimate successor to China's imperial line.
1. Tiananmen Square, with Mausoleum of Mao Zedong
See the discussion of the elaborate Forbidden City and the elaborate Forbiden City
and the Imperial Throne Room in the Hall of Supreme Harmony in Chapter 11. (Fig.
11.11).
Like the tomb of Mao Zedong, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial (Figure 11.3, page
Figure 10-26, AIDS Memorial Quilt, displayed on the Mall in Washington DC, October
328) stands on politically significant ground, the Mall in Washington, D.C.
11, 1996.
1. Vietnam Veterans' Memorial, Washington, D.C.
The Quilt is composed of individualized panels memorializing people who have died of
AIDS. Seen in its entirety or more often, in sections, the Quilt changes each time it is
displayed.
1. Details of the Aids Quilt in Washington, D.C.
2. Aids Memorial Quilt
Figure 10-27, John Bennett, Gustavo Bonevardi, Richard Nash Gould, Paul Myoda,
Julian LaVerdiere, and Paul Marantz. Tribute in Light. High-power lamps. World Trade
Center Memorial at Ground Zero, New York City, 2002.
1. Tribute in Light
Figure 10-28, Studio Daniel Libeskind. Computer-Generated Design to Rebuild the
World Trade Center Site. Selected design for World Trade Center Site Memorial –
Reflecting Absence by Michael Arad and Peter Walker, Copyright 2004 LMDC.
1. Daniel Libeskind WTC Plan
2. WTC Memorial Competion