On the unspeakable occasion of a three-year-old boy’s death, a parent commissioned this piece. Dedicated in 1815, the snake eating her own tail is a reminder of infinity and rebirth, and “Not Lost But Gone Before” means everyone will reunite in the afterlife. The engraving is “James Lean Ob 29 May 1815 Aet 3 Yr.s [years] 4 Mo.s [months].”