A still life scene featuring an open book with illustrations, a globe, a skull, a blue ribbon, a trumpet, a compass, a pocket watch, and scattered papers on a cluttered wooden table.

The Art of Death: Tour of the Sacred and Macabre at the UMFA 

by J. Attridge, UMFA communications coordinator 

If you’re looking for the perfect Halloween outing, follow this guide through the Utah Museum of Fine Arts to see what’s on view in the vein of the morbidly beautiful and the frightfully fascinating! Maybe, if you’re lucky, you’ll make contact with the dearly departed. 

Artists have long been captivated by morbid muses, creating objects that function to aid the dead in the afterlife or pose questions about what lies beyond the land of the living. This Halloween season, while the veil is thin, the UMFA invites you to learn more about the rich funerary traditions and stories of what lies beyond this life. The Museum is the ‘final resting place’ for many incredible examples of funerary art, portraits of the long dead, and more deathly beautiful objects that might send a shiver up your spine! From an ancient sarcophagus to Memento Mori, there is a wealth of Halloween spirit(s) on view at the Museum.  

Let’s start on the first floor in the North American art gallery. 

A
James Peale, Sr., American, 1749–1831, The Ambush of Captain Allan McLane, 1803, Oil on canvas, Purchased with funds from the George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation, the Marriner S. Eccles Foundation, and Friends of the Art Museum., UMFA1987.056.001 

Pictured on the center horse, with pistol raised, is Revolutionary War Captain Allen McLane. On either side of him are two British soldiers, one slumped on his horse’s back with a fatal injury, the other appearing groggy from a blow to the head. This picture of mortality is harrowing on its own but if you look closer in the background you can make out a ghostly figure. The illusion is likely due to the artist adjusting the position of the horse and rider. Or is it a spectral image of another British soldier? (Oooooohhh, scary ghost horse!)

Several soldiers on horseback, dressed in red uniforms and tricorn hats, ride along a dirt road. There are two semi transparent horses and riders.
(Detail) James Peale, Sr., The Ambush of Captain Allan McLane.

Next, let’s turn the corner, head up the stairs, and explore the Portrait Hall on the second floor. 

A museum hallway with red walls, displaying framed classical paintings. One painting shows a woman in a blue dress holding a wreath. A person walks by, blurred in motion. The floor is polished wood.
Installation view of the Portrait Hall at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, 2025.

Though these portraits were not of the dead at the time of their making, the vast majority of people whose faces line the walls are long dead. Pretty scary if you ask me! Imagine these faces looking out at you from the dark before the gallery lights are turned on. (UMFA security are the bravest of us all!)

A dimly lit art gallery hallway with framed paintings on red walls, polished wooden floors, and a softly illuminated doorway at the far end.
View of the Portrait Hall at the UMFA before the lights are turned on.

Now, into the neighboring gallery and permanent collection exhibition, Funerary Art from the Ancient Mediterranean World! This corner of the Museum is a treasure trove of the macabre and beautiful. Take your time in these rooms and maybe you’ll hear a whisper from an ancient spirit. 

A marble sarcophagus features a central figure in a round frame flanked by two winged figures on each side, all set in detailed relief, with intricate patterns and faces beneath their feet.
Sarcophagus, Roman, Italy, Late Roman Empire, ca. 325–330, Greek mainland marble, Purchased with funds from the Marriner S. Eccles Foundation for the Marriner S. Eccles Collection of Masterworks, UMFA1989.005.002  

This Roman sarcophagus may have once been the final resting place for a young noble boy. The boy would have lived during a time when Roman traditions were transforming through the influence of Christianity. Though the deceased resident of this sarcophagus was not inside when this vessel was found being used as a garden planter, one wonders if a spirit may have accompanied it anyway.  
  
Take a look at the symbols carved into the relief. Both pagans and Christians of the time would have equated peacocks with immortality. There are also the four figures surrounding the portrait of the boy, symbols of the four seasons. Spring and summer (renewal and growth) hold the boy’s portrait shielding him from autumn and winter (decay and death).

A tall ancient Greek vase with two handles, decorated with red-figure artwork showing human and mythological scenes and intricate patterns on a black background.
Monumental vase (amphora), Gioa del Colle Group (Greek, Southern Italian, Apulian), ca. 340-330 BCE, Earthenware, lead glaze, and polychrome pigments, Gift of Elmer Davy, conserved with funds from the Ann K. Stewart Docent and Volunteer Conservation Fund. Additional funding provided by the Hayden H. Huston Memorial Antiquities Fund. UMFA1970.006.153

At the center of the room you’ll find the Monumental vase (amphora). Painted on the vessel is imagery that captures the Greek concept of duty/respect (Eusebia). Family members, particularly women, would bring regular offerings and libations to the grave site. These rites ensured the dead would not be forgotten. This vase has no bottom, allowing libations to be poured through it. 

The vase itself has experienced its own resurrection. When it first came to the Museum it was in pieces. But thanks to the funds from the Ann K. Stewart Docent and Volunteer Conservation Fund and additional funding from the Hayden H. Huston Memorial Antiquities Fund, it was reconstructed. Now this ‘undead’ amphora can be enjoyed by all! 

In center of the next room, you’ll be greeted by a large Anthropoid coffin. But I want you to turn your attention to the case on the wall to the right. Inside there are a number of Ushabtis. The one pictured below was created for a man named Suniet. Egyptians believed the spirit (ka) still had mortal needs in the afterlife. A variety of figures accompanied the burial to aid the spirit. The ushabti would provide labor in the afterlife. 

A painted ancient Egyptian shabti figurine with crossed arms, wearing a wig, decorated with black and red details, and inscribed hieroglyphs on its lower half, standing on a wooden base against a dark background.
Ushabti, Egyptian, New Kingdom Period, 19th or 20th Dynasty (1307–1070 BCE), Limestone and ink, Gift of Natacha Rambova, UMFA1952.131

The inscription on the figure translates to: 

“O Ushabti, if the Osiris Nebre is decreed to do any work whatsoever in the afterlife, may all obstacles be cast down in front of him. Here I am, whenever you call, O figures, be ever watchful to work, to plough, and sow the fields, to water the canals and to carry sand from east to west. Here I am ready when you call.”  

Continue out past the coffin and interactive station (after giving them a good sniff), and into the European art gallery. On the nearest wall you’ll find a dark painting in a square gold frame. Memento Mori. 

A still life painting featuring an open book, a globe, a skull, musical instruments, a blue draped cloth, a trumpet, a compass, documents, and various objects arranged on a wooden table.
Vincent Laurentsz. van der Vinne I, Dutch, 1628–1702, Memento Mori, 1656, Oil on wood panel, Purchased with funds from the Marriner S. Eccles Foundation for the Marriner S. Eccles Collection of Masterworks, UMFA1985.021 

If you read the label, you’ll learn that the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century changed the way that artists depicted moral teachings. This painting functions as a symbolic memento mori (Latin for “reminder of death”). The overturned silver vessel, called a tazza, expresses the emptiness of earthly pursuits, such as acquiring knowledge and indulging in sensual pleasures through music.  

Next, head through the gallery and into the new Mexican and Central & South American art galleries! These reimagined galleries are new on view as of October 18! In the Mexican art gallery, you’ll find a wealth of ancient and living art traditions. Some of which were made to accompany or protect the dead. 

Two reddish-brown ceramic figurines: one depicts a standing, armless figure with a round head, and the other shows a seated figure wearing an ornate headdress and holding an object, both on a white background.
(Left) Standing woman, Nayarit culture (present-day Nayarit, Mexico), 300 BCE–300 CE, Earthenware and pigment, Purchased with funds from Friends of the Art Museum and through a gift of the Herbert I. and Elsa B. Michael Foundation, UMFA1977.093 (Right) Seated man, Colima culture (present-day Colima, Mexico), 300 BCE–300 CE, Earthenware, Purchased with funds from Friends of the Art Museum, UMFA1985.004

Standing woman (left), holds a small cup and jar, that may depict a fermented beverage made from agave called pulque. Figures like this and other gifts would accompany the dead in the ancient cultures found in Colima, Nayarit, and Jalisco regions. In these burial traditions elites would create 5 to 20-foot shafts for a one-time or multigenerational burial. Seated man (right) strikes a defensive pose with a club resting on his legs. Recent excavations in Colima have found similar figures serving as protectors of the tomb and the deceased.   

In the Central and South American art gallery you’ll encounter a seated shaman (sukia) figure. And a golden necklace! 

A stone statue of a man with his hand to his mouth.
Seated shaman (sukia), Huetares culture, Guapiles district, Costa Rica, 1000–1500, Pyroclastic rock, Ulfert Wilke Collection, purchased with funds from Friends of the Art Museum, UMFA1980.167

The Huetares, one of eight Indigenous groups of Costa Rica, created these shaman figures as burial gifts to guide souls to the afterlife. Perhaps figures like this are the reason why the Museum is not as haunted as one might expect. Many of the funerary objects on view were meant to guide the dead into the afterlife.

Close-up of intricate gold jewelry on a black background, featuring two detailed, stylized animal or insect figures connected by rods and geometric shapes.
(Detail) Necklace with Double Bat Effigies, Panama, Coclé region, Gran Coclé culture, ca.700–1200, Gold, Purchased with Funds from Friends of the Art Museum, UMFA2008.16.1

If you look closely, this gold necklace is made up of decorative double bats. This beautiful piece of jewelry would have been part of a chief or elite’s costume. They would have worn this necklace in life and death. Bats carried many different symbolic meanings in ancient Mesoamerica. For example, for the Maya, bats symbolized death and the underworld because they lived in caves.  

Exit into the main corridor and take a seat on the bench in front of The Death of Saint Joseph. This piece is different from the others we’ve explored thus far.

A painting depicts a biblical scene with Jesus restoring life to a man lying on a bed, surrounded by angels and mourners. Jesus raises his hand in blessing, while the others watch with awe and reverence.
Francesco Solimena, Italian, 1657–1747, The Death of Saint Joseph, circa 1698-1700, Oil on canvas, Purchased with funds from the Marriner S. Eccles Foundation for the Marriner S. Eccles Masterworks Collection, the John Preston Creer and Mary Elizabeth Creer Brockbank Memorial Fund, the Aurelia Bennion Cahoon Acquisition Fund, the Enid Cosgriff Endowment, the Hemingway Family Endowment, and by exchange from Friends of the Art Museum, UMFA1990.048.001

While most of them been created to accompany, guide, or protect the dead in some way, The Death of Saint Joseph is a depiction of death meant for the living. This painting, and its subject Joseph, demonstrates the “good death” because he seeks forgiveness. During the Catholic Reformation of the 17th century, artists portrayed saints as relatable examples.  

To continue this tour of death, walk down the galleries and into the West & East Asian art gallery. 

A brown ceramic jar with a sculpted lid featuring multiple tiers and intricate figures, likely animals or mythical creatures, arranged around the lid’s structure. The jar has decorative patterns around its shoulder.
Funerary Urn (Hunping), China, Western Jin dynasty (265–316), Stoneware with grayish-green glaze (proto Yue Ware), Purchased with funds from Bert G. Clift Jr. UMFA2018.9.1.

A four-story pavilion sits atop this funerary urn while soldiers lead a procession with dragons around the base. Scholars believe this unique combination of architectural model and storage vessel serves as the final resting place for a spirit.   

Take a moment to imagine what you’d like your final resting place to look like. Would you want a four-story pavilion? Would you want your urn to have a procession of dragons or maybe a swimming pool? (I personally would want an on-site taco stand, but that’s just me.) 

Once you’ve designed your forever home, pass through the Global Contemporary gallery, and you’ll find yourself in the African art gallery.

Two traditional African masks displayed in a museum; the left mask is made of wood and beads, while the right one features woven material, colorful beads, a tall headdress, and a fringe of straw.
(Left) Unidentified artist, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kuba peoples, Mask (Ngady Amwaash), 20th century, wood, pigment, cowrie shell, raffia, and beads, purchased with funds from the Emma Eccles Jones Foundation, UMFA2006.31.1. (Right) Unidentified artist, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kuba peoples, Mask (Muykeem or MwashMboy), 20th century, Wood, pigment, beads, cowrie shell, cloth, and raffia, The Owen D. Mort, Jr. Collection of African Art assisted by the, George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, UMFA1985.052.815 

In the far-left corner of the gallery, just outside of the basecamp interactive space, are two royal masks that depict some of the main characters in the Kuba creation story. On the left is Mweel, the ideal, beautiful woman. The lines on her cheeks represent tears, partially because this is a funerary mask, and partially because of the pain women must bear. On the right is a mask representing Woot. This mask from the Kuba people is worn in ceremonies to honor a deceased high-ranking person who belonged to a secret society. You’ll notice that this mask is different from others on-view nearby. It does not have eye holes because the dancer is guided by the people involved in the performance. Learn more about the Royal Mask Complex in a previous At the Heart of it All blog post from UMFA docent, Jody Andes! 

To finish off your tour of the macabre, round the corner into the Pacific art gallery. One of the first things you’ll encounter is an impressive over 19-foot-long Spirit Canoe.

A long wooden canoe with bent over figures inside.
Spirit Canoe (Wuramon), 20th century, wood, pigment, and sago fiber, gift of Gordon Dew, UMFA1998.55.1 

The figures on the spirit canoe represent supernatural beings with human and animal features; they embody the spirits of recently deceased ancestors. The spirit canoe carvings and ceremonies encourage those spirits to give their life-giving powers to the community before traveling to the land of the dead. Spirit canoe ceremonies celebrate this transfer and the initiation of young boys who will follow the ways of the ancestors. Only spirits––not living humans––can travel in these bottomless canoes.

Exhibit of Pacific art in a museum, featuring woven grass costumes in a glass case, wooden statues, masks, and carvings displayed against white walls on a polished wooden floor.
(Left) Unidentified artist, Indonesia, Papua, Asmat peoples, Mask, 20th century, Plant fiber, pigment, paper mulberry bark, and raffia, Gift of Steven C. Chiaramonte, UMFA1998.57.5. (Right) Unidentified artist, Indonesia, Papua, Asmat peoples, Mask, 20th century, Rattan, cord, plant, fiber, wood, feather, and seed, Gift of Steven C. Chiaramonte, UMFA1995.037.001

Further inside the gallery you’ll find two full-body masks. These Asmat masks are full-body costumes made from the dried inner bark of trees and often decorated with feathers. Masks like these are used to drive ancestral spirits out of the village to the land of the dead. Male relatives of the deceased usually wear the masks and enter the village from the bush or across a river. In some villages, the masks come at night and are chased by young people. In other villages, the masks arrive at sunrise and dance in and out of the village until they are chased out at nightfall.  

Congratulations! You’ve survived the art of death tour at the UMFA! Did you see any spirits haunting the halls? Did the hair on the back of your neck stand on end? (Probably not. The Museum is a pretty peaceful place.) Whether you’re a ghost-believer or a skeptic, I hope you’ve enjoyed this journey through the morbid, macabre, and beautiful, and I hope to see you at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts again soon!