Italy Before The Romans:: Etruscan Art
Italy Before The Romans:: Etruscan Art
Etruscan Art
ART ID 111 | Study of Ancient Arts
Slide concept by William V. Ganis, PhD
NYIT Center for Teaching and Learning with Technology
http://www.fransite.net/Klassiek/Romeins/kunst/slides/Model%20of
%20a%20typical%20Etruscan%20temple%20of%20the%20sixth
%20century%20BCE,%20as%20described%20by
%20Vitruvius.html
Models of Etruscan temples
as described by Vitruvius
ca. 6th century B.C.E.
One example of a rooftop statue
is the life-size image of Apulu
from a temple in the Portonaccio
sanctuary at Veii.
Apulu (Apollo)
from the Portonaccio Temple, Veii, Italy
ca. 510-500 B.C.E.
painted terracotta
71 in. high
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQZdZycFDa_Zaf_l6eGsS5X-JSeNOREwQ5Jvr08V8yviQYCLCMi
Apulu (Apollo)
Banditaccia necropolis
from Cerveteri, Italy
7th to 2nd centuries B.C.E.
http://a1.l3-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/101/a9d9e7611a2e4e601ed5221ea812ef9b/l.jpg
Tumulus
from Cerveteri, Italy
7th to 2nd centuries B.C.E.
Tumulus
from Cerveteri, Italy
7th to 2nd centuries B.C.E.
http://eternallycool.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/tomb-entrance-w-figures.jpg
Interior
Tomb of the Reliefs (Tomba dei Rilievi)
Cerveteri, Italy | 3rd century B.C.E.
Interior
Tomb of the Reliefs (Tomba dei Rilievi)
Cerveteri, Italy | 3rd century B.C.E.
Sarcophagus with reclining couple
from Cerveteri, Italy
ca. 520 B.C.E. | painted terracotta | 45 1/2 in. high
Sarcophagus with reclining couple
from Cerveteri, Italy
ca. 520 B.C.E. | painted terracotta | 45 1/2 in. high
Tarquinia's painted tombs:
o Large underground burial chambers hewn out of the
natural rock were also the norm at Tarquinia.
o But the tumuli do not cover the Tarquinian tombs, and
the interiors do not have carvings imitating the
appearance of Etruscan houses.
o In some cases paintings decorate the tomb chamber
walls.
Detail of mural paintings
in the Tomb of Triclinium| Tarquinia, Italy | ca. 530-52:0 BCE.
Detail of mural paintings
in the Tomb of Hunting and Fishing | Tarquinia, Italy | ca. 530-52:0 BCE.
Later Etruscan art is notable for
bronze sculptures, carved stone
sarcophagi, and the use of the arch
in gateway architecture.
Chimera of Arezzo
from the Arezzo, Italy
1st half of 4th century B.C.E.
bronze
31 1/2 in. high
Chimera of Arezzo from the Arezzo, Italy
1st half of 4th century B.C.E. | bronze | 31 1/2 in. high
contested
Capitoline Wolf
(Remus & Romulus added)
from Rome, Italy
ca. 500-480 B.C.E.
bronze
31 1/2 in. high
The F icoroni C ista was found in
an Etruscan woman's tomb in
Palestrina, the center of Etruscan
bronze industry. The fact that his
piece was made by Novios
Plautios, a Roman artist, signifies
the growing importance of Rome
as an Italian cultural and political
center.
NOVIOS PLAUTIOS
Ficoroni Cista
from Palestrina, Italy
late fourth century BCE.
http://www.emforster.info/pages/malcolnia2a.htm
Bronze
approx. 2' 6" high.
http://www.emforster.info/pages/malcolnia2a.htm
Porta Marzia (Gate of Mars)
Perugia, Italy
2nd century B.C.E.
http://www.museumsyndicate.com/images/4/36649.jpg http://www.museumsyndicate.com/images/4/36649.jpg
Sarcophagus of Lars Pulena
from Tarquinia, Italy
Early second century BCE.
Tufa | approx. 6' 6" long.
In Hellenistic Etruria,
the descendants of
the magnificent
Archaic terracotta
sarcophagus from
Cerveteri were
made of local stone.
http://www.museumsyndicate.com/images/4/36661.jpg
http://www.museumsyndicate.com/images/4/36661.jpg
http://www.museumsyndicate.com/images/4/36661.jpg
G lo s s a r y
c h i m e r a A monster of Greek invention with the
head and body of a lion and the tail of a serpent. A
second head, that of a goat, grows out of one side of
the body.
c i s t a ( p l . c i s t a e ) An Etruscan cylindrical
container made of sheet bronze with cast handles
and feet, often with elaborately engraved bodies,
used for women’s toilet articles.
F i b u l a A decorative pin, usually used to fasten
garments.
G lo s s a r y
n e c r o p o l i s Greek, “city of the dead”; a large
burial area or cemetery.
N o v io s P la u t io s Creator of the Ficoroni
Cista, the Etruscan bronze cista depicting an
episode from the Greek story of the expedition of the
Argonauts in search of the Golden Fleece.
p e c t o r a l An ornament worn on the chest.
p i l a s t e r A flat, rectangular, vertical member
projecting from a wall of which it forms a part. It
usually has a base and a capital and is often fluted.
G lo s s a r y
r e p o u s s é Formed in relief by beating a metal
plate from the back, leaving the impression on the
face. The metal is hammered into a hollow mold of
wood or some other pliable material and finished
with a graver.
t e r r a c o t t a Hard-baked clay, used for sculpture
and as a building material. It may be glazed or
painted.
T u s c a n c o l u m n The standard type of
Etruscan column. Resembles ancient Greek Doric
S ourc e s
• http://www.wadsworth.com/art_d/templates/student_resources/0155050907_kleine
r/studyguide/ch09/ch09_1.html
• http://websites.swlearning.com/cgi-wadsworth/course_products_wp.pl?
fid=M20b&product_isbn_issn=0155050907&discipline_number=436
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etruscan_civilization
• http://legacy.earlham.edu/~vanbma/20th%20century/images/surveydaynine.htm
• Art Through the Ages, 12th/11th ed., Gardner