Grave Matters: The unusual. Part 2

It all began in 1831. It was in this year that Mt Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts became the first landscaped and designed cemetery in the America. A place not just for the dead, but created for the enjoyment of the living. Inspired by Paris' Pere La Chaise cemetery it was the first to follow the natural contours of the landscape with winding roads and vistas pleasing to the eye with flowers and trees carefully planted to bring out the beauty of the grounds. Immensely popular with the public, soon landscaped cemeteries became the norm for most locations.

It also marked a drastic change in the appearance of tombstones and graves. No longer thin, upright pieces of cold slate marked with dire warnings for the living and cold, staring death's heads, carvers and sculptors now went to work creating works of art in marble, iron, bronze, and granite. They also came up with a lot of the iconography we see today. These are a few more of the unusual standouts I've come across over the last five years.

This first carving comes from the small California Mission town of San Juan Bautista, and is part of a grave stone of a ten year old boy who died in 1874. Here we have a man leaning on a pedestal, head in hand with signs of obvious grief while behind him is a weeping willow, a classic 19th century symbol of immortality because the tree will spring back to life if the branches are pruned off. Even cut down to a mere stump, a willow will always begin regrowing. Also behind is a Cypress tree which has been common in cemeteries going back as far as early Christian and Pagan times and used in Greek and Roman times as well because of it's association with Hades and or Pluto, the god of the underworld. In modern times, the Cypress represents the finality of death. Once it is cut down it will never regrow. Here, both symbols represented tell the viewer that the life on earth has been cut short, but, like the willow, there is also everlasting life even in the depths of grief.

Lakeview Cemetery on Seattle's Capital Hill has been a landmark since it's first burial in 1872. Here, visitors can wander about a beautifully landscaped setting and view the last resting places of Seattle's earliest and most famous families. Names like Denny, Yesler, Leary, Maynard, and others who helped shaped the city are here, however most visitors come only to see the grave site of it's two most famous burials, martial artist Bruce Lee and his son Brandon. For those who take the time however to check out the rest of the cemetery, there is always this amazing grave. Here carved out of single granite boulder and graced with a marble insert of a piano, is Ada Plachy who died in 1895 complete even down to a scroll of music on the holder. While most people think that the piano is of the Grand type, it's actually a style known as a Fortepiano, coming from the Italian words for loud and soft. This type of piano was popular mostly in the late 18th century until the late 19th century when rapid changes in the design and construction reduced it's popularity.

Another striking monument from Lakeview Cemetery, is this statue marking the last resting place of a Klondike miner. This is a prominent monument in the cemetery at the base of a hill. In his right hand he holds a shovel which at it's base rests a gold pan which was a common tool for surface or placer mining used to extract gold from streams and rivers. On his left side curled at his feet is his trusted canine companion. Behind him is a large Holly tree. Holly is a common part of the cemetery landscape and is said to be the wood used to build the cross upon which Christ was crucified, and also as a symbol of the Passion. Because it's an evergreen it is also a referal to immortality.

The Hauberg monument, located in the very back of Lakeview cemetery remains one of my favorites, in terms of unusual and modern design. It owes its uniqueness to the world of Northwest native art and was created to resemble a Haida bentwood box. Bentwood boxes are created by splitting a single piece of cedar wood in key points and then steaming it until it becomes pilable enough to bend around a form after which it is pegged or glued with resin. Typically they were then painted or carved with designs from native mythology or a totem symbol, which is this case the etching on the granite is in the form of a bear.

The last grave for today's posting is the grave of Carlo Bossi and his wife Petronilla. Located in Ross Bay Cemetery in Victoria BC, this is a highlight of the self guided tour that is offered. Carlo was born in the Lombardy region of Italy and came to Victoria by way of New York after fleeing conscription in the Austrian Army. Upon arriving in Victoria, Carlo became a stone mason and helped to create downtown Victoria and later with his brother Giacomo became a merchant which gave them wealth enough to build the Osborne house on Blanshard and Pandora Sts. What's notable about this grave, aside from the profiles of the couple, is the garland of flowers underneath them. Carlo's boasts an easter or Madonna lily, a symbol of casting off wordly possessions in pursuit of heavenly qualities, while Petronilla's garland contains carvings of the Passion Flower. First discovered by the Spanish Conquistadores in Central America, the flower was no known in Europe until it's introuduction in Rome in 1568. Immensely popular is has come to represent the Passion, Redemption and Cruxifiction of Jesus. Also notable is the central carving containing a pick ax, shovel and ax which relates to Carlo's early days in construction.