General view of gravestone commemorating 'J.C'. Winged soul, Two figures with trumpet and hourglass, deathbed and skull below. Digital image of B 42930/32

Description General view of gravestone commemorating 'J.C'. Winged soul, Two figures with trumpet and hourglass, deathbed and skull below. Digital image of B 42930/32

Date 1993

Collection Papers of Betty Willsher, historian, St Andrews, Scotland

Catalogue Number SC 801775

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of B 42930/32

Scope and Content Gravestone of 'J E', Old Parish Church, Boyndie, Aberdeenshire This stone features a winged soul (symbol of the spirit ascending to Heaven after death) in its pointed tympanum (top part). The main (east) panel below shows two tall angels standing on globes (emblems of their power over worldly things). One holds a trumpet to raise the dead, whilst the other holds an hourglass, symbol of the brevity on mortal life. In the centre of the stone is a four-poster bed (seen from the side) it is intended to represent a death bed. Below it is a skull, a further mortality emblem. The imagery of many Resurrection scenes found on gravestones is derived from the following text from I Corinthians 15: 51-2: 'Behold, I show you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed'. This gravestone commemorates 'J E' (no further details available), and probably dates from the mid-18th century. It is one of several in the churchyard which feature similar scenes of Angels of the Resurrection. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/801775

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap