Art Symbols Dictionary: Death
A collection of the various symbols and signs associated with death.
The things that symbolize death or that we associate with mourning, vary across the world. The prime example is the use of white for mourning in the East, whereas white is traditional for celebrating a wedding in the West.
Black: In the West, the color used for death and mourning is black. Black is associated with the underworld and evil (think of black magic, which is said to draw on the power of the devil, and the saying ‘the black sheep in the family’ for someone who’s disgraced the family). Jewelery made from jet, a hard black stone that can be polished to a brilliant shine, became popular during the reign of Queen Victoria when, after the death of her husband Albert, she shunned bright jewelery as inappropriate. Kali, the Hindu god of destruction, is depicted as black.
In parts of Africa, spirits and dead ancestors are seen as white (which is why Europeans were initially welcomed with open arms).
White: In parts of the East, the color used for death and mourning is white. It’s also the color used for surrender (think of white flags being waved). Ghosts are depicted as white.
Skull: The skull of a human head. (Think of the scene from Shakespeare’s Hamlet where the prince holds a skull of Yorick, a former servant, bemoaning the pointlessness and temporary nature of worldly matters.) The skull with two crossed bones underneath it of a pirate flag were to symbolize that death awaited those whom the pirates encountered. Today a skull and crossbones is sometimes used as a sign for poison.