Angel of Grief

The Angel of Grief is a marble sculpture at the Protestant Cemetery in Rome, where a winged figure with lowered head collapses over a flat altar. The folds of the garments fall heavily downward and reinforce the impression of deep despair.

William Wetmore Story completed the tomb in 1894 after the death of his wife Emelyn and worked on it for a year. It was his last major work before he himself died in 1895 and was buried beside her at this cemetery.

The American sculptor created the figure as a tomb for his deceased wife and now rests buried beside this monument himself. The work presents a human interpretation of mourning that resonates with visitors from around the world and became one of the most photographed tombs on the cemetery grounds.

The tomb stands near the entrance to the Cimitero Acattolico in Rome and is easy to find when you walk along the main path. The cemetery is open to visitors on weekdays in the morning and early afternoon and offers quiet paths among the graves.

Cosmopolitan magazine published an article about the tomb in 1896 and showed Story himself beside the finished sculpture. Numerous copies of the figure were later installed at cemeteries in North America and Europe, so the motif is now known worldwide.