Grave Matters: Cherubs pt. 2

Pictured here are two more examples of Cherubim, one from a cemetery on the Central Coast of California, and the other from a cemetery near Olympia, Washington. In this case, both are seen standing, with one on clouds, and the other with small branch behind the leg to provide stability to the statue, and both were carved as female figures in downward gaze with a small bouquet of flowers carried in the right hand, while with the left they scatter the blossoms over the grave of the person. In some cases the flowers in the bouquets are either roses or lily and represent the purity and innocence of the person interred below.

Grave Matters: Cherubs

Along with lambs, and doves, cherubs are also used as visual markers on a child's headstone. Cherubs, or Cherubim, are the second part of the first sphere in the order of angels, the first being the Seraphim. In early symbolism, they were known as the bearers of the Throne of God, and they were said to have four wings and four faces. Their name comes to us from the Ancient Assyrian word "Karibu", or "One who intercedes", and they were sent by God to guard the way to the tree of life and were ruled by the archangels Gabriel, Raphael, and Satan, the prince of darkness and evil who was an archangel before his downfall and casting into Hell to watch over the spirits of the damnned.

Pictured here is a stunning representation of a Cherubim that I stumbled upon in a cemetery in San Luis Obispo. Exquistely carved, his downward gaze shows him to be deep in thoughtfulness as he leans upon an inverted torch which symbolizes that while the flame of life is no longer visible here, it still burns in the other world.

Grave Matters: The Lamb

The second most popular and frequent symbol on a child's grave is the lamb. Lambs are used to denote innocence and can be commonly found on infants graves. They are also a reference to Christ as found in the New Testament in the Book of John, chapter 1, verse 29 "Behold the lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world".

Christ is also referred to as the Shepherd in the bible for the way he led his flock of believers, and it also has ties the the Vernal or Spring Equinox when a lamb would be sacrificed during Easter, Passover or Ramadan in ceremonial rites. The grave pictured here is one from a local Washington cemetery. What makes this representation so unique is that it is made from cast Zinc, or "White Bronze. Gravestones such as this were commonly manufactured and sold through mail order catalogs such as Sears, Roebuck and Co, or they could also be ordered from the mortician who would then place the order during the arrangement process.

Grave Matters: Doves

Probably the most common animal found in any cemetery is that of the dove. Used to denote innocence and a representation of the holy trinity, they usually mark the graves of children, but they can also be found on adult headstones as well.

Typically the sculpture is three dimensional and perched on top of the marker if it's a child's grave. In other forms, the dove can be carved to make it appear dead, which is a symbol of the shortness of life. On an adult headstone, it is more common to see them in relief form and usually with the head pointed downwards above a set of gates that represent the gates to the heavenly kingdom and in it's beak it sometimes holds an olive branch which is taken from the Old Testament story of Noah who sent out two birds, a dove and a crow to see if the waters of the flood had abated yet.

In this picture from a local cemetery I took, here we see the dove perched on top of the grave of a child who died at the age of three. On the side of the epitaph is a calla lily which when found on a gravestone can represent either marriage, if the person is an adult, or beauty of the highest order and it too is a common symbol in the cemetery.