Mourning Portraits - NOT for Everyone

Is often said that we are all just 'passing through' on this place called Earth, but when you do pass away, would you like your loved ones to make mourning portraits of you? To some, this may be a hideous question but believe it or not, many people commission artists to create death paintings of a loved one as a sign of their deep and eternal love and respect for the dearly departed.

Mourning Portraits - High in Symbolism

At its most basic description, a mourning portrait is a painting of someone 'in death'. It can be a portrait of the person, lying in his or her coffin or in an open casket normally shown during the person's wake. You might be asking WHY somebody would even think of doing this thing.

Actually, in the olden days, commissioning a mourning portrait was a sign of deep love and devotion by the living for the dead, hence the usage of the term death painting too.

Today, this is still done but perhaps in a less morbid taste. For instance, those left behind may commission an artist to paint the departed one, albeit in happier times, and then ask him to paint certain elements in the portrait too such as angels, the rosary, or anything depicting the departed person's religion or 'favorites' while he or she was on this Earth.

If a mourning portraits interest you, then check online for artists that you can commission for this task. It may not be easy to find one so do be patient and ask around.