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'Throughout history the articles deposited in one's grave have been an important reflection of the relationship with death and the afterlife. Sometimes the articles have been entirely symbolic, but often they were items believed to be of use to the deceased in the afterlife. I have chosen to explore the very concrete sense that people in the past had of death being the beginning of a new life more than as the end of this one."

"Reliquary"
Brass fabricated box with riveted champlevé enameled panels

Reliquaries were not usually buried with people, but instead carried the bones of deceased saints believed to contain miraculous power, thus acting as a miniature portable graves. They are a powerful symbol of how the deceased could still affect the living.

"Offering Bowl"
Raised brass bowl with champlevé enameled foot

There are few graves throughout history that do not include some kind of vessel. Life giving water was considered to exist on both sides of the mortal coil, and often a trip across water was the defining moment of entry into the next world. But a drink in the afterlife was something that would keep you there - and was symbolic of your altered state.