Most religious figures look toward the sky or point up to signify the general direction the deceased have taken. Hopefully.
Leave a CommentDocumenting Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires since 2007
Category: Art + Architecture
No biography or other info found online. Not a single plaque on the exterior either, but one of my favorite Art Deco designs in the cemetery.
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Bravery & strength are character traits commonly identified with lions. Used historically to decorate coats-of-arms of several royal families, even pop culture praises lion-like qualities in “The Wizard of Oz” & “The Lion King.” What better animal to protect loved ones during difficult times? A few large felines blend in with their domesticated relatives in Recoleta Cemetery.
Rarely found but interesting to seek out are drawings etched in stone or concrete. This particular spot has no family name or artist’s signature, but the vault belongs to Pedro José Díaz who fought in early wars after Argentina declared independence:
During my initial visits to Recoleta Cemetery several years ago, I remember a bust of someone in military uniform decorating this tomb. Unfortunately it has been removed, & I never took a photograph. The quality of the etching is generally very good, but the miniature swords detract from the strength of the overall image.
Update (24 Jan 2021): Thanks to a book by Oscar Andrés De Masi published in 2012, we can add a photo of the former bust & confirm the author of the tomb. Juan Carlos Oliva Navarro, best known for the monument to Pedro de Mendoza in Parque Lezama (San Telmo), designed this vault… & even signed the photo below:
