Final Farewell: The Culture of Death and the Afterlife

Death and the Afterlife in Europe and America 1400 to the Present

The objects in this section deal with Western conceptions of death, specifically those linked to Christianity (since it has been the dominant religion in these regions). The art and culture of death in Christianized Europe and America, as well as the countries under their colonial rule, are far too complex for narrow analyses and explanations. There is an astonishing range of Christian beliefs about death, some of which have remained constant over the ages and some of which have changed significantly.

In this exhibition, however, the artworks and other objects are categorized according to recurring themes that have been expressed in visual culture from the Middle Ages to the present. They embody concepts such as martyrdom, the afterlife, memento mori, burial customs, funerals, and mourning. Like those in other cultures, these objects show that Christians have continually imagined life after death, surrounded themselves with reminders of death, prepared for death and burial, and commemorated the deceased. While these categories are far from comprehensive, they represent some of the central attitudes, practices, symbols, and material culture behind the rich traditions associated with Christian death in Western societies.

To Martyrdom >>

Death in the Ancient Mediterranean World
-Egypt
-Greece & Italy
-Suicide in Graeco-Roman Society
-Jewish Practices

Death in the Non-Western World
-Africa
-Pre-Columbian
-Human Sacrifice in Pre-Columbian Cultures
-Tibet

Death & the Afterlife in Europe & America
-Introduction
-Martyrdom
-Christian Afterlife
-Memento Mori
-Funerals, Burials & Mourning

Giuseppe Erts
(Venetian, 17th–18th c.)
The Card Game of Death
detail
1663
Oil on canvas
(68.455)
Gift of Russell M. Arundel

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