Modern Wooden Coffins – A Biography of Things

Abstract

This paper discusses the issue of a biography of a coffin from the perspective of biographical events common to many modern artefacts from the Polish territory. The aim was to identify past and present functions by determining the life cycle of a coffin: from its manufacturing (determination of its manufacturer and recipient; manufacturing techniques; the shape; the size; ornamentation) through ‘participation’ in a funeral ceremony, including transportation of the dead to the church, viewing, inhumation, the period of ‘concealment’, to its revival (e.g. as a museum exhibit). It was determined that at each stage of its ‘life’, the coffin served informative and protective purposes. Additionally, at the stage of its revival, it serves an important verification and identification function from the perspective of researchers in the field. Moreover, preservation of individual burials in coffins and crypts promotes sacral tourism; coffins in the church space have enormous exhibition potential that can be used to build a national and local community.