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DHR - Virginia Department of Historic Resources > DHR Cemetery Workshops > Funerary Iconography

Funerary Iconography

Rare prior to the Civil War. Associated with the Christian and Eastern Orthodox faiths, represents salvation through belief in the Christian God, can also indicate cultural associations (Celtic Cross, Greek Cross, Orthodox Cross, etc.) — Cross

Cross & Crown. Symbol of righteousness, redemption through faith, the Kingdom of Heaven. — Cross

Living Cross. Also known as the “living cross”, a symbol of life everlasting in association with Biblical teaching. — Cross

Chi Rho. A symbol combining the Greek sounds “Ch” and “R”, shorthand for “Christos”. — Cross

Messengers or attendants of God. Symbols of guardianship, divine intervention, answers to prayer. — Angels (Seraphim)

Cherubs often represent spiritual resurrection. They are also considered an evolution of the 17th Century death’s-head icon, or memento mori, into a softer and gentler image reflective of the later, romanticized view of death and the afterlife. — Cherubs (Cherubim)

FINGER POINTING UP: Confirmation that the soul has risen. (A finger pointing down does not mean the opposite – rather it means that the deceased is chosen of God). — The Next Life

CLASPED HANDS: symbolizes the deceased being led into Heaven by a husband, wife or family member. Look for cufflinks (male) and ruffles (female). The hand with the palm facing outward is considered to be the helper, the other is considered to be the deceased. — The Next Life

GATES OF HEAVEN: confirmation that the deceased has been granted admittance. — The Next Life

WOODMEN OF THE WORLD: symbols include trees, tree stumps, log piles, the legend cum tacit, clamat (though silent, he speaks). — Fraternal & Social Organizations

SONS OF TEMPERANCE: organization with roots in the Temperance movement. Triangle with the words “Love, Purity, Fidelity”. — Fraternal & Social Organizations

INTERNATIONAL ORDER OF ODDFELLOWS: symbols include chain with three links, axe. — Fraternal & Social Organizations

ORDER OF THE EASTERN STAR: auxiliary for wives and daughters of Freemasons, symbolized by the presence of a five-pointed star. — Fraternal & Social Organizations

FREEMASONS: symbols include a carpenter’s square, level, compass, five- and six-pointed stars, pyramid, open eye, wings. — Fraternal & Social Organizations

LAMB: purity, innocence, associated with the agnus dei or lamb of God. — Infants & Children

RECLINING CHILD FIGURE: Common from about 1890 through 1920, reflective of the Victorian conceit equating death with sleep. — Infants & Children

ANGELS/CHERUBS: Guardianship, divine intervention. Angels are depicted with feminine features and are often shown carrying or comforting a child. Cherubs are generally neuter and may represent the child itself. — Infants & Children

FURLED FLOWER BUD: a life ended before it began. — Infants & Children

DOVE: purity, also messenger of God. — Infants & Children

20th Century military-issue headstones are generally uniform in size and color, and contain minimal iconography (indicative of a soldier’s religious affiliation or association with the Union or the Confederacy). “Stubs”, or small, squared markers only a few inches in height, may be found at many late 19th and early 20th Century military and national cemeteries. — Military

Monuments provided by the family of the deceased may include symbols indicating rank, branch, etc. — Military

BROKEN FLOWER: An adult life cut short. These may be found singly or as part of a larger bouquet or wreath in which the other flowers symbolize family. — Mourning

FLOWERING BRANCH WITH BROKEN BUD: Loss of a child. The blooms represent the grieving parents. — Mourning

INVERTED TORCH: The “flame of life” snuffed out. — Mourning

TREE STUMP: A life cut short in its prime. Some iconographers believe that the branches represent other deceased family members. Inclusion of ivy, lilies, and other plants represents faith in resurrection and eternal life. — Mourning

FIGURES: Mourning figures are almost universally female. Draping and veils are emphasized in keeping with Victorian mourning traditions. — Mourning

Mourning figures may also be combined with other funerary symbols, as in this tableau including a monument, wreath, and weeping willow. — Mourning

OAK: Strength, fortitude, virtue, endurance. Historically also symbolized male fertility. LAUREL: Acclaim, honor, remembrance. Historically also signified victory. — Plants

ROSE: Motherhood, love, grief, family. — Plants

THISTLE: Earthly sorrow, repentance, Scots ancestry. — Plants

POMEGRANATE: Resurrection. — Plants

DOGWOOD: Sorrow, repentance. — Plants

CALLA: Marriage, fidelity. — Plants

LILY OF THE VALLEY: Purity, rebirth, new life. — Plants

LILY: Purity, chastity, innocence. — Plants

PALM FROND: Resurrection. — Plants

FERN: Resurrection, humility, sincerity. — Plants

WILLOW: Mourning, weeping, mortality. See also memento mori. — Plants

IVY: Death, eternal life (evergreen), affection. — Plants

WILLOW: A symbol of both mourning and the hope for resurrection. Often combined with other symbols such as broken columns and flowers, urns, and figures. Regularly used in the mid-19th through early 20th centuries. — Memento Mori

COFFIN OR CASKET: Another realistic depiction of death and its aftermath. — Memento Mori

URN: Represents the deceased person’s remains. The urn is often draped (consistent with Victorian sensibilities) and may include an eternal flame. — Memento Mori

HOURGLASS: Symbolizes the transience of life. With wings, it is the symbolic depiction of the Latin phrase tempus fugit (literally “time flies”). — Memento Mori

SKULL OR SKULL AND CROSSBONES: Used largely in the 17th and early 18th centuries, consistent with the stark, realistic view of death that was prevalent at that time. — Memento Mori

Updated April 29, 2021

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