Here lyeth the Body of
THEODORA ASH
who departed this Life
February 17th AD 1770
aged 17 Years
If Innocence of Virtue could Save
A liveing mortall from the Grave
Theodora thou had’n never died.
This elaborately carved 18th Century gray slate gravestone in the Colonial Park Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia, marks the grave of 17-year old Theodora Ash. Floral embellishments decorate the shoulders of the gravestone along with a craved design enhancing the top half circle.
The omnipresent specter of the Grim Reaper is evident on this gravestone. In the medallion of the gravestone’s lunette, Theodora Ash is depicted in an incised carving with her head titled to the left and gently leaning on her hand. She stares straight ahead with a lifeless expression.
Framing the sculpture of the young girl is a scythe with handle to the left and the implement’s blade circling the base of the medallion portrait as if it was cutting it in half from her unseen body. At the tip of the scythe is an hourglass, a symbol of the brevity of life and the fragility of the mortal body.
Gravely Speaking 