Art associated with a repository for the remains of the dead
Tomb of Philippe Pot with life-sized hooded pleurants, c. 1477–80, now in the Louvre, ParisKorean tomb mound of King Sejong the Great, d. 1450Türbe of Roxelana (d. 1558), Süleymaniye Mosque, Istanbul
Funerary art is any work of art forming, or placed in, a repository for the remains of the dead. The term encompasses a wide variety of forms, including cenotaphs ("empty tombs"), tomb-like monuments which do not contain human remains, and communal memorials to the dead, such as war memorials, which may or may not contain remains, and a range of prehistoric megalithic constructs. Funerary art may serve many cultural functions. It can play a role in burial rites, serve as an article for use by the dead in the afterlife, and celebrate the life and accomplishments of the dead, whether as part of kinship-centred practices of ancestor veneration or as a publicly directed dynastic display. It can also function as a reminder of the mortality of humankind, as an expression of cultural values and roles, and help to propitiate the spirits of the dead, maintaining their benevolence and preventing their unwelcome intrusion into the lives of the living.
The deposit of objects with an apparent aesthetic intention is found in almost all cultures – Hindu culture, which has little, is a notable exception. Many of the best-known artistic creations of past cultures – from the Egyptian pyramids and the Tutankhamun treasure, to the Terracotta Army surrounding the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the Sutton Hoo ship burial and the Taj Mahal – are tombs or objects found in and around them. In most instances, specialized funeral art was produced for the powerful and wealthy, although the burials of ordinary people might include simple monuments and grave goods, usually from their possessions.
An important factor in the development of traditions of funerary art is the division between what was intended to be visible to visitors or the public after completion of the funeral ceremonies.[1] The treasure of the 18th dynasty Pharaoh Tutankhamun, for example, though exceptionally lavish, was never intended to be seen again after it was deposited, while the exterior of the pyramids was a permanent and highly effective demonstration of the power of their creators. A similar division can be seen in grand East Asian tombs. In other cultures, nearly all the art connected with the burial, except for limited grave goods, was intended for later viewing by the public or at least those admitted by the custodians. In these cultures, traditions such as the sculpted sarcophagus and tomb monument of the Greek and Roman empires, and later the Christian world, have flourished. The mausoleum intended for visiting was the grandest type of tomb in the classical world, and later common in Islamic culture.
^See for example the chapter "Tombs for the Living and the Dead", Insoll 176–87.
Funeraryart is any work of art forming, or placed in, a repository for the remains of the dead. The term encompasses a wide variety of forms, including...
The funeraryart of ancient Rome changed throughout the course of the Roman Republic and the Empire and took many different forms. There were two main...
and their art. Etruscan art is usually divided into a number of periods: 900 to 700 BC – Villanovan period. Already the emphasis on funeraryart is evident...
Funerary practices in different cultures A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with...
judge the deceased, but simply to guide them. Appearing frequently on funeraryart, psychopomps have been depicted at different times and in different cultures...
Funeraryart in Puritan New England encompasses graveyard headstones carved between c. 1640 and the late 18th century by the Puritans, founders of the...
Art Museum (Baltimore, US) 1st–2nd century AD; bronze or copper alloy; 20.6 × 14 cm; Metropolitan Museum of Art The earliest purpose-built funerary containers...
philosophers of classical antiquity and Christianity, and appeared in funeraryart and architecture from the medieval period onwards. The most common motif...
chthonic figure in Etruscan mythology shown in a variety of forms of funeraryart, such as in tomb paintings and on sarcophagi. Vanth is a female demon...
Erotic art in Pompeii and Herculaneum has been both exhibited as art and censored as pornography. The Roman cities around the bay of Naples were destroyed...
armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China. It is a form of funeraryart buried with the emperor in 210–209 BCE with the purpose of protecting...
monuments first appeared in the 1380s and remained a popular form of funeraryart for 200 subsequent years. Often interpreted (in a theory popularised...
Anpu in Ancient Egyptian (Coptic: ⲁⲛⲟⲩⲡ, romanized: Anoup), is the god of funerary rites, protector of graves, and guide to the underworld, in ancient Egyptian...
should normally be considered as genderless. In 19th-century art, especially funeraryart, this traditional convention is sometimes abandoned. The lack...
avenue, from North Lodge Brompton Cemetery Magnificent Seven cemeteries Funeraryart London Cemetery and Extension Victorian cemetery Commonwealth War Graves...
Roman funeraryart also offers a variety of scenes from everyday life, such as game-playing, hunting, and military endeavors. Early Christian art quickly...
The Yangjiawan terracotta army (Ch: 杨家湾兵马俑) is a small funeral terracotta army of the Western Han period, which was excavated in Yangjiawan, in the region...
social status played a role in what was left and how often it was left. Funeraryart is a broad term but generally means artworks made specifically to decorate...
handshakes also appear in Archaic Greek, Etruscan and Roman funerary and non-funeraryart. Muslim scholars have written that the custom of handshaking...
Roman funerary practices include the Ancient Romans' religious rituals concerning funerals, cremations, and burials. They were part of time-hallowed tradition...
Funerary reliefs of married couples were common in Roman funeraryart. They are one of the most common funerary portraits found on surviving freedmen...
along with a personal message, or prayer, but may contain pieces of funeraryart, especially details in stone relief. In many parts of Europe, insetting...
its religion, features the ankh prominently. It appears in temples and funeraryart in many of the same contexts as in Egypt, and it is also one of the most...
example of Chinese art is the Terracotta Army, depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. It is a form of funeraryart buried with the...
Period. The Etruscans were well known for their terracotta sculptures and funeraryart, largely sarcophagi and urns. The sarcophagus is a late sixth-century...
as a means of memorializing the woman. Unlike the typical angelic grave art, "this dramatic life-size winged figure speaks more of the pain of those...
person usually shown lying recumbent on a rectangular slab. Although these funerary and commemorative reliefs were first developed in Ancient Egyptian and...
with tombs of early rulers rivalling ancient Egyptian tombs in their funeraryart and provision for the dead in the afterlife. The late 3rd century BCE...
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