Lunette - Elijah Sikes LbNA #37623
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Add Location| Owner: | Adoptable |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | Jan 16, 2008 |
| Location: | |
| City: | Brooklyn |
| County: | Windham |
| State: | Connecticut |
| Boxes: | 1 |
| Planted by: | Nomad Indian Saint  |
|---|---|
| Found by: | Valleytine |
| Last found: | Jan 28, 2023 |
| Status: | FFFaFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF |
| Last edited: | Oct 25, 2015 |
Have you ever marveled at the 18 and early 19th century headstones of our ancestors? The colonial burying grounds of New England represent some of the most wondrous carvings and are treasure troves of information and beauty of many kinds. The stones are the “persisting symbols of an art form that is largely indigenous, that reached a high level of abstract complexity and beauty that died away in an amazingly short period of time.”
The term lunette is referred to as the top central area of the stone, the area containing the cherub. Probably more than one carver produced the beautiful and distinctive “Sikes stones.” In Belchertown, MA burying ground, the stone for Joshua Dickenson (1793) is signed “E. Sikes” and the stone for Hannah Dwight (1792) is signed “E.S.” Sikes stones are very distinctive and often striking. The heads of the cherubim have a rather classical look, with elongate elliptical faces and tapering chins. They often have elaborate scroll-like headdresses. The border panels and lunettes frequently contain large ivy-like leaves. Occasionally Sikes designed an elaborate rose that takes the place of the central cherub on at least 2 stones. Another somewhat unusual feature of a number of Sikes stones is the carving of two or more heads on a single stone. There is an example of this in this Brooklyn cemetery. The stone of Captain Benjamin Peirce (1782) and his three wives and son have five heads of different sizes on the same lunette.
Old Brooklyn Burying Grounds/South Cemetery – Brooklyn, CT
Drive in the main gate and head towards the back of the cemetery – the road will curve left where you will find the oldest stones in the northwest corner. Keep on the road as it starts to head back in an easterly direction. Stop at the 2 cedars that will be on your left of the driveway. From the cedars, take a reading of 315 degrees and walk 18 paces to the stone of Jeremiah Scarborough, a fine example of Sikes’ work. From here take a reading of 140 degrees and 8 steps to find your prize in the hole of a structure - reach to the left. On your way back to the car, notice more of Sikes’ work. He has a total of 32 carvings represented here.
The term lunette is referred to as the top central area of the stone, the area containing the cherub. Probably more than one carver produced the beautiful and distinctive “Sikes stones.” In Belchertown, MA burying ground, the stone for Joshua Dickenson (1793) is signed “E. Sikes” and the stone for Hannah Dwight (1792) is signed “E.S.” Sikes stones are very distinctive and often striking. The heads of the cherubim have a rather classical look, with elongate elliptical faces and tapering chins. They often have elaborate scroll-like headdresses. The border panels and lunettes frequently contain large ivy-like leaves. Occasionally Sikes designed an elaborate rose that takes the place of the central cherub on at least 2 stones. Another somewhat unusual feature of a number of Sikes stones is the carving of two or more heads on a single stone. There is an example of this in this Brooklyn cemetery. The stone of Captain Benjamin Peirce (1782) and his three wives and son have five heads of different sizes on the same lunette.
Old Brooklyn Burying Grounds/South Cemetery – Brooklyn, CT
Drive in the main gate and head towards the back of the cemetery – the road will curve left where you will find the oldest stones in the northwest corner. Keep on the road as it starts to head back in an easterly direction. Stop at the 2 cedars that will be on your left of the driveway. From the cedars, take a reading of 315 degrees and walk 18 paces to the stone of Jeremiah Scarborough, a fine example of Sikes’ work. From here take a reading of 140 degrees and 8 steps to find your prize in the hole of a structure - reach to the left. On your way back to the car, notice more of Sikes’ work. He has a total of 32 carvings represented here.