Funerary art is any work of art forming, or placed in, a repository for the remains of the dead. The term also encompasses cenotaphs, these are empty tombs, tomb-like monuments which do not contain human remains; and communal memorials to the dead, such as war memorials, which may or may not contain human remains. Funerary art may serve many cultural functions. It can play a role in burial rites, serve as an article for use by the dead in the afterlife, and celebrate the life and accomplishments of the dead, whether as part of kinship-centered practices of ancestor veneration or as a publicly directed dynastic display. It can also function as a reminder of the mortality of humankind, as an expression of cultural values and roles, and help to propitiate the spirits of the dead, maintaining their benevolence and preventing their unwelcome intrusion into the affairs of the living, which also includes succession placements. Particularly in this paper, the focus will be mainly on the celebration of life of the deceased, and the purposes in doing so.
If you're going to your eternal rest in the Eternal City, as it was thought of in the Renaissance, then the belief was that you should definitely go out in style. We all know you can't take it with you, but based on Italian culture, you certainly want to show off what you had, and with all the competition in this time and place you definitely want to do something spectacular to stand out. . This could be accomplished in many different contexts, from sculptures of the deceased atop their tomb, receiving prise from angels or certain saints, or different paintings and frescos of the deceased life's accomplishments. Rome is filled with grandiose monuments to the dead. There are the giant tombs and temples of the Roman emperors. They were worshipped as gods, so they always got a nice sendoff. Roman temples emphasized the front of the building, which consisted of a portico with columns, which is basically a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls.
