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Bronze mask from Etruria, Central Italy. 8-3866
This bronze mask depicts the face of a youth and was most likely a decorative part of a tripod or other type of furniture. The youth’s hair is parted in the center, framing the face, and the mouth is slightly open. Etruscans commonly produced bronze or terracotta masks, including many found in tombs.
-Gabriella
Spool for textile production. Tomb B, Poggio Buco, Tuscany; May 1897. 8-1613
This Etruscan clay spool is one of many housed at the Hearst Museum. It was found in an intact tomb at Poggio Buco (Tomb B) with other spools used for making thread. Textile production was an important part of an Etruscan matron’s life, thus it is no surprise that items like spools and loom weights would be found in the burial tomb of a wealthy Etruscan woman. Etruscan women produced all sorts of textiles, including ceremonial garments. They held a sort of “power in purling,” a sense of agency from their craft.
-Olivia
Statue from the Royal Archaeological Museum of Florence, 1904. 21-249
This is a copy of a bronze portrait statue of the Etruscan orator Aule Metele. In this plaster copy, Aule is missing an arm, which can be seen broken off and resting between his legs. Aulus’ broken arm would have been outstretched, addressing a crowd, a common gesture for an orator. The original statue features an Etruscan inscription on the hem of his cloak with his name, Aule Metele. While the origination of the art of portraiture is often attributed to the Romans, the Etruscans were in fact the first ancient Italians to shift from making general, to specific, representations in portraits. Plaster casts like this one were popular in the 20th century, and made it possible for ancient works to be studied at universities all over Europe and the US.
-Rina
Etruscan black-figure olpe with painted designs, a dancer, and a front-facing horse. Orvieto, Umbria. 650-480 BCE. 8-920
This black-figure wine jug shows a nude dancer with his arms raised. Although his body is oriented to the right, he looks backwards at a horse behind him. Between the dancer’s legs is a boulder, a small detail that serves to situate the dancer in space and give the impression of a landscape.
In his essay “Sketches of Etruscan Places” English poet and novelist D.H. Lawrence (1885-1930) described Etruscan dancing as: “The natural flowering of life! It is not so easy for human being as it sounds. Behind all the Etruscan liveliness was a religion of life… Behind all the dancing was a vision, and even a science of life, a conception of the universe and man’s place in the universe which made men live to the depth of their capacity.”
At a time when classical scholars dismissed the Etruscans as an inferior people, Lawrence’s reception of Etruscan art gave agency back to a voiceless people, since most of their language has not survived. Though he provides a somewhat romanticized account of the Etruscans, Lawrence’s writing provides a unique perspective on Etruscan art and encourages his readers to look, linger, and enjoy.
-Chase
Bronze mirror. Etruria, Central Italy. 8-80
Etruscan mirrors were luxury items for women and men during the 5th century BCE onward. Many of them feature highly ornate decoration and inlaid handles, though others were made without decoration. Throughout the centuries, forgers added their own engravings to ancient Etruscan mirrors in order to increase their value. This is not the case with this mirror whose green patina masks any decorative details. With the help of a skilled conservator, the original decoration on this piece may someday be revealed.
-Laila
Bucchero wine pitcher with relief, 6th Century BCE. 8-1875
Wine was a key part of Etruscan culture and commerce demonstrated by the large number of drinking vessels that have survived from Etruria. The highlight of this vessel is the repetition of the two relief figures embracing one another. This pitcher could have been used for a ceremony or ritual involving love or union, such as a marriage. By examining an everyday object and learning about its context, one can imagine its use, allowing us to better understand Etruscan culture and daily life and offering us a broader view of the ancient Mediterranean beyond the Greco-Roman lens.
-Maggie
Terracotta votive female head found at the Vignaccia temple, Caere. 8-2824
The abundance of female terracotta heads and figurines discovered at the Vignaccia demonstrates its importance as a female sanctuary. The temple’s female deity was honored by the offerings of votive heads like the one seen here. The Hearst Museum houses over 800 hundred artifacts collected from the Vignaccia Temple, most of which are female votive heads similar to this figurine. This votive head was made from a mold, which allowed multiples to be produced with greater ease. The female depicted has stylized hair with a beaded diadem and wears earrings in the grappolo (grape cluster) style popular from the late 5th to the 3rd centuries BCE.
-Michelle
Cista statuette. Florence, Tuscany, Central Italy. 8-71
This bronze statuette of a male athlete reflects the use of bronze votives left at temples and shrines throughout Etruria. Many bronze votives were also decorative, used on lamp stands, aristocratic toiletry boxes and more. The nude youth places his hands on his head while taking a step forward with his left leg – perhaps in the act of performing an acrobatic dance.
-Natalie
Red figure picher. Etruria, Central Italy. 3rd Century BCE. 8-3813
This is a red-Figure pitcher with a profile view of a female, perhaps the goddess Iris, and a palmette design on the back. The pitcher is decorated with a band of floral motifs at the top and a band with wave designs at the base. Etruscans often adopted and adapted Greek styles and myths, but in a uniquely ‘Etruscanized’ way. This piece was collected by Alfred Emerson in 1902 and donated to the collection by Phoebe Hearst.
-Iris
Etruscan Bucchero Kyathos. Tomb G, Poggio Buco, Tuscany. 6th Century BCE. 8-1889
The prominent handle extending above the low-rimmed bowl is a sculpted snake, with a head on both ends with a relief of a human head where the handle meets the inner part of the cup. The kyathos shape was utilized primarily for wine drinking一 this complicates the understanding of the snake as a funerary symbol; indicating that serpentine motifs occupied many, seemingly non-funerary spaces. The two-headed nature is particularly interesting as it is not multi-stemmed, such as the Greek Hydra. Additionally, the human head is intriguing – is this an early depiction of a gorgon? What would the drinker of wine from this cup see in the snake and the human head? The fine craftsmanship of this delicate drinking cup continues to speak to us thousands of years beyond the grave— and represents the enduring dimensionality of the Etruscans.
-Ari
