This Is My Glasgow

A draped urn on the top of a gravestone in Sighthill Cemetery, Glasgow.

Urns (based on those of ancient greek and Roman ones) became a popular addition to gavestones in Scotland in the 1800s, probably in parallell with the a widespread interest in ancient cultures and the development of the neoclassical architectural style favoured by the likes of Alexamder Greek Thomson.

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Jan 27, 2023 at 7:13pmWeb
Show threadThis Is My GlasgowJan 27, 2023

The cloth draped over such urns most likely symbolises the veil between the living and the dead.

Draped urns replaced older symbols of death and human mortality, such as the skull and cross bones, and the hourglass (like the one I posted yesterday from another grave in the same cemetery).

The one in this picture is a particularly fancy urn (most are much plainer) and features birds heads for handles.

#glasgow #graveyards #gravestones #stonework #sculpture #drapedurn #symbolsofdeath