Finding beauty and inspiration in unusual places

A Pharaoh’s Tomb In Pittsburgh

The Winter Mausoleum is a popular attraction in Allegheny Cemetery. It is not difficult to understand why: it looks as if a Wizard Of Oz-style tornado deposited a Pharaoh’s Tomb in Pittsburgh. 

The Winter Mausoleum is strongly influenced by King Tutankhamun's Tomb
WINTER MAUSOLEUM

A Brief History of the Winter Mausoleum

This mausoleum is a replica of one built for Frank Woolworth (of the Woolworth “five-and-ten” retail store fame), in 1921, located in the Woodlawn Cemetery, NY. Apparently, with enough nickels and dimes, one can build a pretty elaborate resting place!

Emil Winter was a talented Pittsburgh businessman. He moved with great success between wholesale meatpacking operations and the steel industry, eventually becoming the president of the Real Estate Loan and Trust Bank. In 1930, Winter commissioned John Russell Pope, who built the Woolworth mausoleum. Pope was strongly influenced by the King Tut Tomb, which was discovered in 1922. He would later design the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC.

Guarding the Entrance

One of the most distinctive and impressive features of the mausoleum is a pair of sphynxes guarding the entrance. Symbols of the duality of the mortal and immortal, they are probably the most recognizable symbols of Ancient Egypt. Upon closer inspection, however, it is clear that the pair gracing the Winter Mausoleum was not based on the Egyptian models, but rather a combination of the Egyptian and Greek styles.

The Great Sphinx of Giza, a mythical creature with the head of a human and the body of a lion
THE GREAT SPHINX OF GIZA, PHOTO BY NEEDPIX.COM

The sphinx sport traditional Egyptian headpieces on female heads and are “well-endowed.” This sets the sphynxes apart from others you may encounter.

A Sphinx, guarding the entrance of the Winter Mausoleum
A SPHINX OF THE WINTER MAUSOLEUM
A Sphinx, guarding the entrance of the Winter Mausoleum, surrounded by golden evening light
A SPHINX OF THE WINTER MAUSOLEUM

The Many Faces of the Door

The ornate bronze door was designed by Julius C. Loester and cast by the Roman Bronze Company. It features a smorgasbord of imagery and symbols. The scene depicts a Pharaoh flanked by male and female figures. The male is passing the Ankh — a key to the hidden knowledge and the eternal aspect of the soul — to the Pharaoh, who is preparing to enter the next world. The scene is reminiscent of the painting in King Tutankhamen’s tomb, featuring the King, Anubis, and Nephthys. Anubis was the God of Death and the ruler of the underworld. Nephthys was the Goddess of Mourning, Lamentation, and the Protector of the Dead, among her other duties of assisting those in the afterlife.

The ornate bronze door of the Winter Mausoleum features a smorgasbord of imagery and symbols
THE DOOR OF THE WINTER MAUSOLEUM

Loester took some creative liberty in replicating this scene, however, as the figures in the Winter Mausoleum door are noticeably different than the original. Anubis is traditionally depicted as a God with a Canine head and Nephthys is usually portrayed with a crown representing a heavenly home (the hieroglyph representing the word “house”). The male on the Winter door has a very handsome human head, with the headpiece of a vulture, worn by Goddess Nekhbet, a protector of the Pharaohs.

Thoth, the ancient Egyptian God in one of his forms as an ibis-headed man
THOOUT, THOTH DEUX FOIS GRAND, LE SECOND HERMÉS.
PHOTO: COMMONS.WIKIMEDIA.ORG
A wall painting depicting the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamen and the Gods Anubis and Nephthys
A WALL PAINTING DEPICTING THE KING TUTANKHAMEN ACCOMPANIED BY EGYPTIAN GODS ANUBIS AND NEPHTHYS. PHOTO BY CRESTWOOD.ON.CA

The female’s headpiece, consisting of the staff and the opposing serpents, is reminiscent of that worn by Thoth, the God of wisdom, who participated in the judgment of the dead.  Thoth is usually portrayed as the Ibis-headed creature.

Would images with Canine and Ibis heads make a more impressive presentation? Perhaps. Regardless of its adherence to strict Egyptian culture standards, however, the door represents an impressive work of art and craftsmanship.

Picture of Emil Winter, who is buried in the Winter Mausoleum
EMIL WINTER. PHOTO: FINDAGRAVE.COM
 The head of the Pharao at the door of the Winter Mausoleum
THE HEAD OF THE PHARAOH

Another interesting point about the door made by the Pittsburgh historian and cemetery photographer, Father Pitt, is that the Pharaoh’s face was modeled after that of Mr. Winter. I will leave it to our readers to determine how much they agree with this premise.

 

Vultures – Protected by Pharaoh

Two vultures reside at the top of the door. Vultures were often associated with Goddess Nephthys and protected by Pharaoh. They were believed to multiply without male assistance, thus symbolizing purity and motherhood. In feeding on the dead, the vultures transformed death into life, representing the eternal cycle of death and rebirth.

One of the two vultures at the top of the door
DI ANKH DJET MEANS “GIVEN LIFE FOR EVER”
Two vultures at the top of the door
NEB TAWY MEANS “LORD OF THE TWO LANDS”

The meaning of the hieroglyphs framing the vultures proved more difficult to understand. After some research, I was very fortunate to have a distinguished archeologist, Ms. Samira Minetti, agree to translate them for me and provide some additional context. Her response:

“There’s one real phrase: di ankh djet means “given life for ever“, in the red circle. There’s also neb tawy, marked in the red square, which means “Lord of the Two Lands”. The rest is gibberish. This is a classic example where modern designers will pick up a few signs and then make up the rest, or get it very wrong.”

It is clear that while the Winter Mausoleum has many Egyptian elements, characters, and symbols, it is not purely Egyptian. Nor do the expressions translate into coherent patterns or messages one might expect of an authentic Egyptian tomb.

The Columns

The columns of the mausoleum are as ornate as the rest of the mausoleum. The carving of the Papyrus represents a marsh where primordial life was born, as well as a representation of Lower Egypt. There are also carvings of the Lotus, a symbol of re-birth and representation of Upper Egypt. They were often depicted together, to convey the unity of the nation. In the middle of the column are the alternating images of Ankh and the Scarab beetle, two of the most venerated and recognizable images of Egyptian symbolism. The Scarab beetle symbolizes re-birth. It also signifies our earthly existence until the final moments when we are ready to spread our wings and fly toward the Sun, achieving our higher purpose and solidifying our relationship with God.

White Columns of the Winter Mausoleum
COLUMNS OF THE WINTER MAUSOLEUM
The Scarab beetle and ankh, a fragment of the column of the Mausoleum
SCARAB BEETLE AND ANKH – A FRAGMENT OF THE COLUMN

According to the book by John Ward, The Sacred Beetle: A Popular Treatise on Egyptian Scarabs in Art and History,”:

“When a person died and went to their final judgment, the gods of the underworld would ask many detailed and intricate questions which had to be answered precisely and ritually, according to book, The Egyptian Book of the Dead.” Since many people of those days were illiterate, even placing a copy of this scroll in their coffin would not be enough to protect them from being sent to Hell for giving a wrong answer. As a result, the priests would read the questions and their appropriate answers to the beetle, which would then be killed, mummified, and placed in the ear of the deceased. When the gods then asked their questions, the ghostly scarab would whisper the correct answer into the ear of the supplicant, who could then answer the gods wisely and correctly.”

The front of the mausoleum contains not one, but two carved depictions of the Winged Sun, a symbol of royalty, divinity, power, and the soul’s destiny in eternity. Mr. Winter certainly was not taking any chances, he was transitioning into the afterlife with all the accoutrements for eternal life and resurrection!

A Pharaoh on the Throne

The stained glass portrays a Pharaoh on the throne, surrounded by servants and adoring public. Whether this is how Mr. Winter imagined himself in an afterlife or merely a design he favored, we can only guess.

The stained glass of the Mausoleum portrays a Pharaoh on the throne, surrounded by servants and adoring public
STAINED GLASS OF THE WINTER MAUSOLEUM

Despite the mausoleum’s mix of styles, symbols, and inaccurate depiction of the scenes and deities, the structure is artistic and grandiose. I have grown fond of it and appreciate how it has piqued my interest to investigate the history of Mr. Winter and Egyptian culture. In the succinct and eloquent words of Antonio Porchia, an Argentinian poet, “One lives in hope of becoming a memory”. 

The front of the Winter mausoleum contains two carved depictions of Winged Sun
THE WINGED SUN DISK

It is fair to say that if Mr. Winter held such hope, it has been realized. Most passerby can’t help but walk up to the mausoleum for a closer look and wonder who Mr. Winter was, and why he sought to erect such a lavish resting place.

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2 COMMENTS

  1. How interesting and odd, in a way, that Woolworth and Winter would choose to have an Egyptian style mausoleum decorated with mostly meaningless writing rather than erecting something that had a more personal connection to their own lives and era. I’m surprised that after going to the expense of commissioning such an elaborate tomb, they didn’t also request specific words and phrases be translated into Egyptian hieroglyphics. Instead, they faked it (or their artists faked it) and used hieroglyphics that are essentially gibberish save for two phrases… It’s interesting that the one phrase, “Given life forever” is followed by almost the exact same glyphs a few glyphs down, as if it says, “Given life forever…given life ???” Great write-up – thanks!!

    • Thank you for reading the article and your thoughts about it, Emily! You make really excellent points. I think it was the era when everyone was fascinated with Egypt and their culture and burials, so it does not surprise me that Woolsworth and then Winter chose that style for the place of their eternal rest. The hieroglyphocs are probably as much a part of the ornamentation as they are messages. That door is fascinating, with so much symbolysm, even though not everything has a meaning! Come for a visit and you will see it firsthand in its glory! Best wishes to you and Mark!

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