Title
Undifferentiated souls with wings and skull on English tombstones, by Unknown (1700, c.)
Description
Images 1 and 2 are gravestones that belong to Mary Lattimer (1681) and Christopher Lattimore (1690) respectively, in Old Burial Hill, Marblehead.
In the first two gravestones, we can see a winged skull. This is the same representation for both genders and was a common symbol to use in New England's gravestones, termed as the "death's head" (see https://www.boston.gov/departments/parks-and-recreation/iconography-gravestones-burying-grounds, Archived in: https://web.archive.org/web/20201101011013/https://www.boston.gov/departments/parks-and-recreation/iconography-gravestones-burying-grounds).
These gravestones represent a winged death, possibly originating from the exchange of arrows by mistake with Cupid (related to other images such as Death stealing Cupid's arrows, by Richer (1584)) although there seems to be no connection here.
Image 3 shows the gravestones of Susannah Addis nee Farlee (1742) and Phillip Ades-Addis (1724), in Little Birch, Herefordshire Unitary Authority, Herefordshire, England. Whereas image 4 shows the gravestone belonging to Margaret Adams (1767) in All Saints Churchyard, Westbere, City of Canterbury, Kent, England.
These British gravestones show winged cherubs in all graves regardless of the gender of the deceased. The fact that they are cherubs, which are generally male cupid-like children, is interesting because it is contradictory to the feminine image of the soul in some Latin countries (due to its grammatical gender).
In the first two gravestones, we can see a winged skull. This is the same representation for both genders and was a common symbol to use in New England's gravestones, termed as the "death's head" (see https://www.boston.gov/departments/parks-and-recreation/iconography-gravestones-burying-grounds, Archived in: https://web.archive.org/web/20201101011013/https://www.boston.gov/departments/parks-and-recreation/iconography-gravestones-burying-grounds).
These gravestones represent a winged death, possibly originating from the exchange of arrows by mistake with Cupid (related to other images such as Death stealing Cupid's arrows, by Richer (1584)) although there seems to be no connection here.
Image 3 shows the gravestones of Susannah Addis nee Farlee (1742) and Phillip Ades-Addis (1724), in Little Birch, Herefordshire Unitary Authority, Herefordshire, England. Whereas image 4 shows the gravestone belonging to Margaret Adams (1767) in All Saints Churchyard, Westbere, City of Canterbury, Kent, England.
These British gravestones show winged cherubs in all graves regardless of the gender of the deceased. The fact that they are cherubs, which are generally male cupid-like children, is interesting because it is contradictory to the feminine image of the soul in some Latin countries (due to its grammatical gender).
Creator
Unknown
Source
Images 1 and 2: Gravestones in Old Burial Hill, Marblehead, Massachusetts, the United States.
Found in Old Burial Hill, Marblehead website http://www.oldburialhill.org/pond/pond_cluster_01a.html#lattimer
Archived in:
https://web.archive.org/web/20170324020132/http://www.oldburialhill.org/pond/pond_cluster_01a.html
Image 3: Gravestones of Susannah Addis nee Farlee (1742) on the left and Phillip Ades-Addis (1724) on the right, in Little Birch, Herefordshire Unitary Authority, Herefordshire, England.
Found in Find a grave website:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/118172763/susannah-addis_nee_farlee
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/133676209/phillip-ades-addis
Archived in:
https://web.archive.org/web/20201105013253/https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/118172763/susannah-addis_nee_farlee
https://web.archive.org/web/20201105013348/https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/133676209/phillip-ades-addis
Image 4: Gravestone belonging to Margaret Adams (1767) in All Saints Churchyard, Westbere, City of Canterbury, Kent, England.
Found in Find a grave website:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/69989287/margaret-adams
Archived in:
https://web.archive.org/web/20201105013929/https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/69989287/margaret-adams
Found in Old Burial Hill, Marblehead website http://www.oldburialhill.org/pond/pond_cluster_01a.html#lattimer
Archived in:
https://web.archive.org/web/20170324020132/http://www.oldburialhill.org/pond/pond_cluster_01a.html
Image 3: Gravestones of Susannah Addis nee Farlee (1742) on the left and Phillip Ades-Addis (1724) on the right, in Little Birch, Herefordshire Unitary Authority, Herefordshire, England.
Found in Find a grave website:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/118172763/susannah-addis_nee_farlee
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/133676209/phillip-ades-addis
Archived in:
https://web.archive.org/web/20201105013253/https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/118172763/susannah-addis_nee_farlee
https://web.archive.org/web/20201105013348/https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/133676209/phillip-ades-addis
Image 4: Gravestone belonging to Margaret Adams (1767) in All Saints Churchyard, Westbere, City of Canterbury, Kent, England.
Found in Find a grave website:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/69989287/margaret-adams
Archived in:
https://web.archive.org/web/20201105013929/https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/69989287/margaret-adams
Date
Image 1: 1681
Image 2: 1690
Image 3: 1742 and 1724
Image 4: 1767
Image 2: 1690
Image 3: 1742 and 1724
Image 4: 1767
Geolocation
Item Relations
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