Gravestone decorations
and symbols.
The Pelican feeding its young with drops of its own blood. The symbol of Piety. A superb example of it by Alice Meredith Williams will be
found in the National War Memorial, Edinburgh.
The Bannantyne tomb in Greyfriars Kirk Yard, Edinburgh dates from 1635 and was at one time much larger. This panel or mural is gradually sinking into the ground – the cherub`s hands are resting on a skull (right hand) and an
hour glass (left hand).
The memorial to James Borthwick of Stow (1676) is one of several in Greyfriars Kirk Yard to eminent surgeons and doctors. Borthwick was Professor of Anatomy in Edinburgh and Deacon of the Surgeons. The symbols are of a dancing skeleton with a scythe, above a Crown (of Righteousness). A skull and cross bones is at the foot. The side panels have
illustrations of surgical instruments, scalpels etc.
Back to Gravestones
|
