Cave of Machpelah, (sculpture).

Cave of Machpelah, (sculpture).

Rodriguez, Dionicio, 1891/93-1955, sculptor.

Cave of Machpelah, (sculpture).

Digital Reference:

Cement over brick.

Approx. 10 x 10 x 6 ft.

A representation of the Cave of Machpelah, the Biblical burial place of Abraham's family, at Hebron outside of Jerusalem. The facade of the structure is made of cement over brick, sculpted to look like cut stone and is crenelated along the top. The door and windows are covered with grill work so visitors can look inside. On the interior of the structure, flanking the entrance, are representations of two burial vaults in the Jewish tradition. Also inside the structure is the "Oak Tree Coffin," which represents a large oak coffin from the Bronze Age. Along the back wall of the structure is a colorful tile relief depicting an ancient Egyptian driving a chariot.

Religion -- Old Testament -- Abraham & Isaac

Religion -- Judaism

History -- Ancient -- Israel

History -- Ancient -- Denmark

Outdoor Sculpture -- Tennessee -- Memphis

Memorial Park Cemetery & Funeral Home, Grounds Maintenance, 5668 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee 38119

Formerly located Memphis Memorial Park, 5668 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee 38119

Memorial Park was originally named Memphis Memorial Park, but the corporate name was changed to Memorial Park, Inc. in 1976. IAS files contain an unpublished paper on Memphis Memorial Park, written around 1992 by Lisa Simpson, a former curator of Dixon Gallery & Gardens, Memphis, TN, which discusses the conception and planning of this piece. Clovis Hinds, the original owner of Memorial Park Cemetery, commissioned the work which was intended to represent an early Hebrew burial. According to the article by Lisa Simpson, the background for the piece is from Genesis 23, in which Abraham buys a field and the Cave of Machpelah, in Hebron near Jerusalem, as a burial place for his family. The "Oak Tree Coffin" was apparently derived from an article on an archaeological find of a Bronze Age Danish warrior chief in a large oak coffin.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Tennessee survey, 1992.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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