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Etruscan art
6th - 5th century BC
Sources:
www.Getty.edu
www.arthistory.about.com
www.georgeortiz.com
Mystery surrounds the Etruscans. No one knows where they
originally came from and only a few of their "words" have
ever been deciphered. They inhabited a region in western
central Italy and this group of independent city states was at
its peak from the 700s to the 400s B.C. Etruria gradually fell
victim to the growing power of Rome.
The artwork the Etruscans created was influenced by earlier
Greek and eastern Mediterranean constructions. Even so,
the Etruscans had a style and flair all their own. Much of the
ceramicware and sculptures they spent hours working on
were made specifically for funerary reasons --- not unlike the
earlier Egyptians - and the pieces left behind show a great
deal of passion and an intense love of life.
Etruscan Antefix
Etruscan Antefix
Etruscan, Caere, 600 - 500 B.C.
Originally surrounded by a large scalloped shell, a woman's head
decorates this broken antefix or architectural decoration. The woman
wears a diadem, earrings, a necklace, and a patterned dress. An artisan
added bright paint to the molded terracotta head to emphasize the
antefix's effect and visibility.
Although this antefix is unusual because it is a bust of a figure, not just a
head.
The roof tiles running along the eaves of ancient Greek and Etruscan
buildings often ended in upright members called antefixes. These moldmade terracottas often took the form of heads, either of humans or
mythological creatures. As well as being decorative, architectural
terracottas served to cover and protect exposed wooden parts of the
architecture from the elements.
Gem in the Form of a Scarab Beetle
Gem in the Form of a Scarab Beetle
Unknown Etruscan, 400 - 375 B.C.
The bearded male figure engraved on this gem is the hero
Herakles, known in ancient Etruria as Hercle. With one hand,
Herakles strangles a bird by its neck; in his other hand, he holds
his club, which the gem-cutter has represented with five drill-holes.
Under one foot, he tramples another bird. The hero is engaged in
his fifth Labor, which required him to chase away or kill the
troublesome birds—sometimes said to be man-eaters—that
inhabited the region of Lake Stymphalos in Greece. This Labor is
rarely depicted in Etruscan art, and this gem is the earliest
Etruscan example of the myth.
Etruscan gems often take the form of a scarab beetle, a shape
derived from Phoenicia and Egypt. In the latter country, the scarab
had religious meaning as an emblem of the sun.
The wire mount attached to the scarab is modern.
Votive statuette of Herkle
Votive statuette of Herkle
Unknown Etruscan, 320 - 280 B.C.
Herkle, the Etruscan version of the Greek hero Herakles, is here depicted
as a nude youth, standing relaxed with his weight on one foot. Originally
his extended hand held a round object, perhaps an apple as a reference
to the apples of the Hesperides, Herakles' last labor. The skin of the
Nemean Lion confirms the hero's identity.
Herkle wears the skin on his head with the front paws tied around his
neck. By the late 300s or early 200s B.C., this depiction of Herakles
wearing the lionskin over his head had gone out of favor in Greek art, but
it remained popular among the Etruscans. This seemingly old-fashioned
element in the statue is offset by the artist's knowledge of recent
developments in Greek sculpture, as evidenced by the figure's
contrappos contrapposto pose.
Herkle was a very popular figure in Etruscan bronze statuary. A
worshipper probably placed this statuette in an Etruscan sanctuary as an
offering to the deity.
Statuette of a Bearded Man
Statuette of a Bearded Man
Etruscan, about 480 B.C.Bronze
This bearded man wears a tebenna, a semi-circular form of toga.
He once held something in his left hand, which probably would
have identified him. Lacking this object, his identity is open to
question. He might be Tinia, the Etruscan equivalent of Zeus, the
king of the gods; if so, he would have held a scepter or a
thunderbolt. However, he could just as easily represent a
worshipper or a priest. Small figures like this were often left at
temples as an offering to the gods. This statuette was reportedly
found in Piombino, Italy.
Although his face and muscles are naturalistic, the bearded man is
posed rigidly and his garment is arranged in an artificial manner.
Such combinations of opposing stylistic traits are not unusual in
Etruscan art. As an area rich in metal sources, Etruria produced
large quantities of bronze statuettes.
Patera Handle in the Form of a Nude Winged Girl
Patera Handle in the Form of a Nude Winged Girl
Etruscan, 350 - 300 B.C.
A sculpted figure of a winged female deity called a Lasa
forms this Etruscan patera handle. The patera is a vessel
composed of a bowl-shaped element attached to a handle.
Etruscans used a patera to pour water over their hands
before sacrificing, but they may have also used it for general
bathing.
The woman holds an alabastron and is nude except for her
shoes and jewelry. Scholars have difficulty interpreting this
object because of uncertainty over both the identity of Lasa
and the function of the patera. They dispute whether Lasa
was a major deity in her own right or whether she was only a
minor deity, most frequently an attendant of Turan, the
Etruscan equivalent of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love
Statuette of a Seated African Boy
Statuette of a Seated African Boy
Etruscan, 500 - 400 B.C.
Resting his head in his hand, a young boy sits curled up on the
ground. Through the rendering of hair and facial features, the
artist characterized him as an African. The artist also carefully
portrayed his poor physical and emotional condition: hunched
back, prominent ribs, and dejected posture.
Etruscan traders and sailors would have encountered Africans
in their overseas trading. The Etruscans also kept slaves, some
of whom were probably African, as the boy in this statue
appears to be. Yet, most Etruscans would never have seen an
African, and thus they played the role of infrequent, exotic
curiosities in Etruscan art.
The form of the statuette's base suggests that this figure once
decorated the top of a candelabrum.
Antefix: Maenad and Satyr Dancing
Antefix: Maenad and Satyr Dancing
Etruscan, 500 - 475 B.C.
A satyr and maenad dance in a Dionysiac revel on this Etruscan
antefix. Antefixes were upright roof tiles, often decorated, set along
the edges or eaves of the roofs of Greek and Etruscan buildings. As
well as being decorative, architectural terracottas served to cover
and protect exposed wooden parts of the architecture from the
elements.
The satyr's bulging eyes, snub nose, and pointed ears emphasize
his bestial nature, while the drinking horn he carries points to his
debauched nature. The maenad, holding krotala or castanets, draws
away from the satyr somewhat yet does not actually resist his
embraces. Said to come from Caere, this antefix is remarkable for
the quantity of original paint it retains. The preserved red and black
paint on the maenad’s dress conveys some sense of the original
colorful decoration.
Statuette of a Youth Putting on His Cuirass
Statuette of a Youth Putting on His Cuirass
Etruscan, 490 - 470 B.C.
On this Etruscan bronze statuette, a young warrior puts on
his armor. He grasps the shoulder flaps of his cuirass, pulling
them forward in order to fasten them. The artist represented
the cuirass in great detail, with rows of punched circles and
semi-circles ornamenting its surface and a double row of
pteryges or flaps along its lower edge. Peeking out from
underneath the cuirass is the decorated hem of the youth's
short tunic.
The form of the statuette's base indicates that this youth
once decorated the top of a candelabrum. The style of both
the base and the youth's face suggest that the statuette was
made in the city of Vulci.
Horse and Rider
Horse and Rider
Vulcian, Towards the middle of the 6th century B.C.
The horseman's head and face are unfortunately sadly
disfigured, his lower right leg and foot damaged.
The horseman belongs to a group of funerary sculptures
made to be placed at the entrance to tombs. The horse's
mane, still visible on the right, was possibly braided on top.
Balsamarium
Balsamarium (female head)
Etruscan, 3rd century B.C.
Vessels in the shape of heads have been thought to
represent Turan (Aphrodite) or Lasa.
A lady's toilet article, they were probably used for scented
substances, but also fulfilled a funerary function and
accompanied the deceased to her tomb.
These vessels, usually fairly stereotyped, have a somewhat
boring expression in keeping with a mass-produced output this example is unusual in its refinement and with its
imperceptible evanescent smile is truly a delightful expression
of feminity in Etruria.