Depictions of Death in Sculpture and Architecture

The depiction of death as both a physical reality and as an abstract concept has been a preoccupation of sculptors, builders, and architects for centuries, particularly in relation to gravesites and funerary monuments. Since ancient times nearly all cultures have developed rituals and beliefs surrounding the death of a person. In Western civilization death has often been personified in art. Other ways of depicting death range from allegorical figures (a human figure that represents or embodies an abstract concept such as hope or faith) to representations of the dead body. In architecture, certain types of structures and monuments, whether at gravesites or, for important or significant people, in public spaces, have also developed into a visual “language” of death. Much of what we know today about the way people have thought about or considered death in the past comes from the study of funerary and commemorative art and architecture.

Depiction in the Ancient World

In ancient Greece, death and life became personified—that is, ascribed a human figure and personality. Life was considered as feminine, and death as masculine. In classical Greek mythology, the minor god Thanatos was the personification of death and mortality. Thanatos was the twin brother of Hypnos, or sleep. The twins were the sons of Nyx (night) and Erebos (darkness). In ancient Greek sculpture Thanatos was often shown as a winged youth (or angel), often with his twin, as a mediator between two gods negotiating for a mortal soul, or at the scene of a death (e.g., a battle scene). Thanatos was not seen as a fearful or tragic figure; rather, Thanatos (from which the word euthanasia is derived) was often depicted as a peaceful, serene presence. Thanatos's presence on a sculpture did not imply that the work was necessarily a funerary monument. The Greek tradition of death as a winged figure, and one often synonymous with eternal sleep, is one that influenced many later artistic representations of death. Later, in European depictions of Thanatos, he is [Page 357]often shown holding a downturned or extinguished torch, symbolic of a life that had ended. Ancient Romans did not produce specific sculpture depicting representations of death, although these occasionally appeared in mosaics and other artistic forms.

Architecture and tomb structures related to death in the ancient world came in many different forms and sizes. It is important to note that deathrelated architecture never depicted death in the same way that sculpture did, but acted more as an indication that they were connected to, or housed, the deceased. Some structures were meant to accommodate individuals, others for large numbers of persons, for example, multiple generations of a family. In general, the large monuments and structures that have survived were almost always erected for rulers or powerful persons. Pyramids—such as the famous ones at Giza—are the most recognizable and enduring form of ancient Egyptian architecture; they mark the resting place of the pharaoh, considered the embodiment of a God on earth. Pyramid tomb shapes were later used in ancient Greece and Rome. Temple structures were popularized in ancient Greece, while mausoleums—often in temple shapes—were popularized in ancient Rome. In the ancient Mideast, characteristic tomb and mosque shapes were rounded. Some Asian cultures favored pagoda-like structures. All of these cultures and countries, however, borrowed ideas from each other, and myriad variations can be found everywhere throughout history.

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