2. The Etruscans were the first
historic people in Italy
Etruscan writing has still not
been deciphered
Their religion was very
similar to Egyptian and
Greek; they were
polytheistic and shared same
gods as the Greeks but they
had a strong belief in the
afterlife like the Egyptians
Most Etruscan art is
funereal.
3. Three periods of Etruscan
History:
Villanovan Period: 9th 8th centuries BCE:
Similar to Greek
Geometric Period in art
Orientalizing Phase:
750 – 575 BCE:
Etruscans reach height
of their power
Archaic Period: 550 –
350 BCE: Coincides
with Greek Archaic
Period; heavy Greek
influence; most artwork
from this period
4. Etruscan Art
Characteristics:
Heavy use of bronze
and terracotta
Humans not always in
proportion – not
concerned with ideal
forms
Many mythological
themes: animals, heroes,
and gods
Most art is related to
funerals, tombs and
afterlife themes
5. Apollo of Veii c. 750
BCE
Found in Veii, Italy
Terracotta sculpture
Terracotta is easily
sculpted but also
delicate
It is recognized as a
masterpiece of Etruscan
Art
Originally it crowned
an Etruscan temple
6. A Reconstructed
Etruscan Temple
(700-539 BCE)
Columns were smooth
and did not surround
temple
Only one set of stairs
leading up to stylobate
Lots of terra-cotta
sculpture – especially
on roof
Front and Back sides
no longer the same
7. Portrait of a Boy c.
300-100 BCE
Uncovered in Chiusi,
Italy
Bronze sculpture
The boy appears to be
looking away, perhaps
toward a far away
land
The Etruscans were
famous for their
bronze work, created
using the lost wax
method
8.
9. Capitoline Brutus c.
300 BCE
Unearthed in Rome,
Italy
Bronze sculpture
Considered to be cast
by Etruscan artists who
were skilled in bronze
work, although it
represents a famous
Roman politician
Brutus was an early
hero of the Roman
Republic, not the same
person who killed Julius
Caesar
10. L’Arringatore (The
Orator) c. 75 BCE
Found in the region of
Perugia Italy
Free-standing bronze
sculpture-in-the-round
Aulus Metellus was the
name of the man, a
great Roman speaker
Although the work is
Etruscan, the style and
clothing are
completely Roman
11. The Necropolis at
Cerveteri 7th - 2nd
centuries B.C.E.
Cerveteri, Italy
Funerary architecture
The Etruscan tombs
(called tumuli)
resembled homes and
businesses in many
details
14. It is uncanny how much
an Etruscan tumulus
resembles a tholos tomb
of the Mycenaeans. Does
this indicate cultural
diffusion?
Additionally, many tombs were dug deep
enough to have cellars beneath them.
15. Tomb of the Reliefs, 3rd
Century BCE
Cerveteri, Italy
Architecture/Relief
Sculpture
Richer people could
afford sculpture in their
tombs – this is the tomb
of a metal worker – note
the reliefs of swords,
armor, shields, etc.
The tumulus was
designed to look like an
Etruscan dining room, or
triclinium
16.
17. The Tomb of Hunting
and Fishing, 520 BCE
Located in the
necropolis of Tarquinia,
Italy
The interior – carved
from volcanic tuff – is
painted in fresco scenes
of boating, birding,
swimming & diving
These are some of the
first images of
swimmers in art
history.
18. It appears that family, leisure, and
entertainment were all very central to
the lives of the ancient Etruscans, with
feast scenes featured prominently.
19. Sarcophagus of
Married Couple, c.
520 BCE
Found at the Cerveteri,
Italy necropolis
Terracotta sculpted coffin
This coffin of a married
couple tells us that
Etruscans believed that
the afterlife was same as
this life.
The couple are shown
reclining on typical
Etruscan dining couch
while embracing one
another.
20. Note how detailed,
naturalistic, and life-like
these sculpted Etruscans
appear – these are not
the idealized
“perfected” forms of
Classical Greece!
This interest in
true-to-life
naturalism is
what the later
Romans referred
to as verism.
21. The Capitoline SheWolf, c. 500 BCE
Discovered on Rome’s
Capitoline Hill
Bronze, lost wax
sculpture
It is a typical Etruscan
example of bronze
animal sculpture
The twins (Romulus &
Remus) were added in
the Renaissance
This has become the
symbol of the city of
Rome
22. The Chimera of
Arezzo, 400 BCE
Found in Arezzo, Italy
Bronze, lost wax
sculpture of the mythical
chimera monster
The chimera has the face
and body of a lion, a
ram’s head & neck
projecting from its back,
and a serpent for a tail.
Great technical virtuosity