What happens to us after death? This question has been asked for millennia. For thousands of years humans have been preparing themselves for the afterlife whether it be by collecting riches to take with them, building monuments to celebrate their triumphs, or creating intricate mausoleums. Death is an integral part of life as contradictory as it sounds. The mysteries of our demise intrigue and inspire us to make and destroy. Around the world, funerary art is the largest collections of works surviving since before the renaissance. Many pieces are buried with the dead, in mounds and tombs, this protects them from being damaged or lost. Graves and the resting places of the dead are considered sacred and are usually undisturbed unless looters get there before archaeologists. Funerary art can consist of many forms, tools for the afterlife, beautiful textiles, even the buildings that house the dead among other things, however, this exhibition focuses on the pieces that stand for humans in death. Across cultures and generations votive statues have been used to act as a body double for those who have already passed on. Designed to last forever these statues can house the souls of the dead or at the very least, their values. Many votive statues are placed in temples to represent timeless worship of deities. Other works like the ones in Egypt are to memorialize pharaohs and create a living space for their spirits. Other cultures like Japan and China create pieces to protect the graves of the dead from trespassers and thieves. The fascination with death is a human quality and is something that drives us to create. Votive statues and funerary art give us a glimpse in the minds of our ancestors and reveals overarching themes that appear across cultures. It is important to study these similarities to appreciate what connects us as humans.
|
The Standing Male Worshipper is one of eleven votive statues found buried in the Square Temple in modern day Iraq. Carved from alabaster with limestone and shell inlaid eyes, the statue was meant to stand for it's commissioner in the temple. Locked in an eternal pose of prayer the statue shows the devotion to the god of the man who bought it. The piece itself is abstracted with a predilection to angularity and geometric forms, this adds to its rigid figure tying in further its practical use to stand for all of time. The figure is not an exact portrait, rather, an image trying to capture the essence of the man who bought it. A naturalistic rendering may be seen as vain focusing on the beauty of the person not as an offering to the god. The eyes of the figure are also wide open, meant to be looking at the god with intent concentration. The overall staticness of the figure is what shows its dedication to unhindered timeless dignified prayer even after death.
Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris, "Standing Male Worshipper (Tell Asmar)," in Smarthistory, December 16, 2015, accessed November 28, 2018, https://smarthistory.org/standing-male-worshipper-from-the-square-temple-at-eshnunna-tell-asmar/. |
|
The Seated Gudea Statue is one of several similar statue of the same man; a great ruler and architect of Lagash, a city state in modern day South-East Iraq. The statue is designed to represent all of Gudea's values and spread them after his life. The figure is humble looking with bare feet and clasped hands. This represents Gudea's own piety and dedication to the gods. The figure is also carved of diorite a very hard strong stone to again represent his humbleness; diorite isn't flashy like gold or marble. There is also cuneiform all over the piece. This is and early form of writing born in Mesopotamia. The script tells us Gudea's own wishes to have the statue be made of diorite to show humility.On his lap is a temple plan representing Gudea's work as an architect. This piece stands as a monument to Gudea's beliefs, and continues to spread them thousands of years after his death.
Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker, "Seated Gudea holding temple plan," in Smarthistory, October 26, 2017, accessed December 1, 2018, https://smarthistory.org/gudea/. |
|
The mortuary statues and temple of Hatshepsut are a monument to Egypt and the power of Hatshepsut herself. Egyptians built statues and murals of themselves to house the Ka after death. The Ka in a sense is the soul and the statues proved a living place in the afterlife. Even if the pieces are specifically to spread the values of Egypt and are more ritualistic in use, the culture and core of Egypt is shown in its art. The kneeling statue is a great example. The figure of Hatshepsut is very static and straight giving a sense of dignity and timelessness. The arms are attached to the main form strengthening it. This is a pragmatic choice to insure the carving will last millenia. Hatshepsut's figure is also idealized with more masculine features, the gold standard body of pharaohs. The statue is a homage to ancient Egyptian power and culture. The core values being perfection and eternity.
Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker, "Mortuary Temple and Large Kneeling Statue of Hatshepsut," in Smarthistory, August 9, 2015, accessed December 4, 2018, https://smarthistory.org/hatshepsut/. |
|
The Santa Maria Antiqua Sarcophagus is made of marble and is covered in biblical stories. Found buried in one of the oldest churches in Rome, carved in 270 C.E. before Christianity was even legal. Near the center is a figure standing with their hands up in a gesture of prayer. The face of the figure is blank. This is because the sarcophagus is unfinished. Whoever bought this for their death would pay the artist to change the blank face into a portrait of themselves. With themselves permanently locked in prayer in a time when Christians were prosecuted in the Roman Empire it shows devotion to God for all eternity.
Dr. Allen Farber, "Santa Maria Antiqua Sarcophagus," in Smarthistory, August 8, 2015, accessed December 2, 2018, https://smarthistory.org/santa-maria-antiqua-sarcophagus/. |
|
The Terra Cotta Army was constructed for the first emperor of China Qin Shi Huang Di. Each statue is life size terra cotta and individualized with immaculate detail. Organized as a regular army each figure has a rank and duty, there are archers, swordsmen, cavalry among others. Each soldier would have been brightly painted as well, making them even more life like. Emperor Qin's purpose for the army was to protect his lavish tomb. Along with treasures of all sorts his tomb also has a lake of mercury, thought to be the key to immortality. The Terra Cotta Army is a symbol of the richness and extravagance of ancient China's first dynasty.
|
|
Haniwa figures are found in Japan in the thousands on the tops of burial mounds during the 6th century. They are made of low fired clay and are hollow. The first of the haniwa were just simple cylinders that then evolved into representations of houses, animals and human figures. Through their evolution however the basic cylindrical shape is echoed. In the human figure haniwa there is a great attention to detail in the clothing of the figures. In the warrior pictured the minute intricacies have been captured in the clay. These pieces were made before writing in Japan, so there is no way to tell the exact purpose of these figures. However, there is speculation that the figures would "come alive" in the afterlife and make the deceased comfortable in their new state.
Dr. Yoko Hsueh Shirai, "Haniwa Warrior," in Smarthistory, November 27, 2015, accessed December 4, 2018, https://smarthistory.org/haniwa-warrior/. |