Etruscan Art
Gmap 9-1 Italy and detail on click*
Etruscan Supremacy- 700-509BC
Territory between the Arno River (which runs through Pisa and Florence) and the Tiber (which runs through Rome) is heartland of Etruscans. (Tuscany comes from the word Etruscan.)
- Not sure where the peoples originated from- native to Italy or in from other lands?
- Distinct Etruscan culture emerges. Seafaring culture.
- Never had unified cities- so no real kingdom or nation. Lack of political cohesion led to their demise thanks to Roman aggressors.
- wealth from fertile soil and abundant metal ore, thus farmers and metalworkers!
- The Etruscans were master bronze smiths who exported their finished products all over the Mediterranean. (much is lost when the bronze was melted down to make coins)
- also sailors and merchants
- ultimately get absorbed into the Roman culture
While some 13,000 Etruscan texts exist, most of these are very short. (many were destroyed- considered immoral by later Christians) Consequently, much of what we know about the Etruscans comes not from historical evidence, but from their art and the archaeological record.
Many Etruscan sites, primarily cemeteries and sanctuaries, have been excavated, notably at Veii, Cerveteri, Tarquinia, Vulci, and Vetulonia.
They are emerging when the Greek culture is in full swing so we think there may be interchange….
G9-1 Fibula with Orientalizing lions, from the Regolini-Galassi Tomb, Cerveteri, Italy, ca. 650–640 BCE. Gold, approx. 1’ 1/2” high.
- fibula- clasp or safety pin- would have fastened a woman’s gown at the shoulder
- one of many luxury items found in a wealthy family’s tomb- the abundance of metal turned Etruscans from modest agriculture to prosperous cities involved with international commerce
- 5 lions are Orientalizing, borrowed from East (Etruscans like Greeks had Orientalizing, Archaic, mature classical and hellenistic Phases)
- show new wealth since so over the top!
- both hammered relief and fusing of tiny metal balls to the surface- much like the Eastern imports…but even greater in quality!
We know very little of the Etruscan religion- they did incorporate Greek gods and heroes into their pantheon.
Figure 9-2 Model of a typical Etruscan temple of the sixth century BCE, as described by Vitruvius. Istituto di Etruscologia e di Antichità Italiche, Università di Roma, Rome.
Etruscan Temples- superficially borrowed from Greeks but were very different. They were made of wood (roof, capitals) and sundried brick (walls) and had terracotta decorative sculpture on roof. Due to materials, only foundations of temples survive.
- Not meant as expressive sculpture seen from all sides (like in Greece)
- meant just as a house for grand statues of Etruscan gods
- built on platform with stairs
- front porch had columns and entablature
- ground plan was almost square and was divided equally between porch and interior space
- often interior was divided into three rooms for cult statues (often their version of Zeus, Hera and Athena)
- Had a wide wooden roof overhang.
G9-1 Apulu (Etruscan version of Apollo), from roof of Portonaccio Temple, Veii, Italy, 510-500BC
- from Etruscan “Archaic Period”
- nearly contemporary to Anavysos Kouros (bulky body one) but so different!
- life sized, temple rooftop, painted terracotta (baked clay) statue
- Etruscans were so good at terracottas which were very hard to make so large! great skill!
- rippling folds of garments reminds one of Greek koroi and Archaic smile
- BUT swelling contours, gesticulating arms, fanlike calf muscles, animated face are uniquely Etruscan
- this Apollo moves like a dangerous giant! Defies logic of sculpture to architecture- steps out of roof! Sacrifice logic for liveliness. Forward moving!
- no Greek proportion preoccupation
- knife edge pleats
- Etruscan energy, excitement and strength
- compare to Kouros
-detail of face
Death and the afterlife
From their extensive cemeteries, we can look at the "world of the dead"and begin to understand some about the "world of the living."During the early phases of Etruscan civilization, they conceived of the afterlife in terms of life as they knew it. When someone died, he or she would be cremated and provided with another ‘home’ for the afterlife.
*Etruscan hut urn (c. 800 B.C.E.), impasto (unrefined clay)
- This type of hut urn, made of an unrefined clay known as impasto, would be used to house the cremated remains of the deceased.
- Not coincidentally, it shows us in miniature form what a typical Etruscan house would have looked like in Iron Age Etruria (900-750 B.C.E.)—oval with a timber roof and a smoke hole for an internal hearth.
G9-4 Sarcophogus with reclining couple, Cerveteri, Italy, Painted Terracotta, 520BC
- also “Archaic” Etruscan
- monumental in size, was cast in 4 sections, but only held ashes
- favored cremation
- in contrast- Greeks buried their dead in simple graves marked only by stele or statues, no monumental tombs
- image of man and wife sharing the same banquet couch is uniquely Etruscan- no woman would be allowed in Greece
- women enjoyed more freedom than in Greek culture (Greeks would have been shocked at seeing this)- they ate with their men and even attended sports events with them, could hold property and many were literate!
- we have women’s toiletry items that have inscriptions thus attesting to their literacy
- figures at rest, but animated – current hair and clothing styles
- antithesis of stiff and formal
- unnatural transition from upper to lower body, not concerned with proportion
- vibrant faces, gesticulating arm- an invitation to dine with them?
- Italians are still known for their gestures even today!!!
- So different from Greek Archaic statues of similar date
Detail slide
Slide of feet
G9-5 Aerial view of Banditaccia necropolis, Cerveteri, Italy, seventh to second centuries BCE.
- Etruscans built elaborate tomb mounds (tumulus- round structures partially excavated and covered with earth) cut out of the local limestone (tufa- compressed volcanic rock which turns like cement in open air)- not made of masonry blocks like Mycenaean
- some were colossal in size, diameters over 130 feet
- the tombs for their dead were VERY permanent unlike their shrines
- arranged the tumuli in orderly manner along a network of streets- city of the dead (necropolis) some distance from the cities themselves
G9-6 Plan of the Tomb of the Shields and Chairs, Cerveteri, Italy, second half of the sixth century BCE.
- resembles the houses of the living
- axial sequences of rooms
- one can see the beds and armchairs and footstools
- Etruscan temples no longer stand (wood) but their tombs were made of stone…very permanent…very important! Whereas the Greeks temples were stone but they rarely built any tombs!
Interior of the Tomb of Shields
G9-7 Tomb of Reliefs, Ceverteri, Italy, 3rd century BC
- tombs resembled houses for the living- so probably believed in afterlife like the Egyptians
- beds, armchairs, ceiling beams, doorways cut out of the tufa
- brightly painted stucco reliefs- stucco is easily manipulated
- The two occupants probably belong to the family which founded the tomb, representatives of the Matuna family, as noted by inscriptions.
- On the two semipillars that frame the loculo objects are carved legacies to the life of the aristocratic family
- domestic content of reliefs- stools, mirrors, cups, pitchers, knives, etc. meant to look like they were real, hanging on hooks
- LEFT pillar, items for the man: a water jug, a double handled drinking vessel (Kylix), a chest with lock and studs, on which a sheet of material was folded (perhaps a book)
- Right objects for the woman: two necklaces, a necklace of leaves, a stick and a fan.
- two sandals are found in the one “bed” that seem to be worn by the noble woman lying in her alcove.
- family dog depicted on base of pilaster
- equality of sexes even in death!
G9-8 Leopards, banqueters, and musicians, detail of mural paintings in the Tomb of the Leopards, Tarquinia, Italy, ca. 480-470BC
- tombs at Tarquinia are large but not covered with earth mounds and do not have domestic carvings, many are painted instead- awesome examples of painting!
- named for the beasts that guard the interior
- The tomb’s ceiling is painted in a checkered scheme of alternating colors, perhaps meant to evoke the temporary fabric tents that were erected near the tomb for the actual celebration of the funeral banquet.
- Above the banqueters, in the gable angle, the two great spotted male leopards hang out their tongues and face each other heraldically, lifting a paw, on either side of a little tree. They are the leopards or panthers of the underworld Bacchus, guarding the exits and the entrances of the passion of life.
- painted tombs reserved for only the wealthiest families
- represent the elaborate funeral banquets they held
-After all the formal funeral ceremonies were complete, the relatives of the deceased were treated to a sumptuous banquet, at which the spirit of the departed was believed to attend.
- banqueting couples (women light, men dark) in open air adorn the walls
- yellow haired women seemed to be favored as courtesans (= wealthy clientele prostitute)
- naturalness and spontaneity
- unlike Greek tomb paintings, women are shown as active participants (at Greek banquets wives were not involved. They stayed home and only slave girls or prostitutes attended.)
- servants serve and musicians play- games are also part of the celebration/ritual
- man (probably the dead man being celebrated) on couch holds up an egg, the symbol of rebirth- (like Christian Easter eggs)
- joyful tone- suggest subjects inhabit a bright, tangible world just beyond the tomb walls
- celebration of life, wine, music, dance, food, not death!
- dancers and musicians on the right wall- (next slide) Servant carrying a wine bowl and Servant on the double pipes, Tomb of the Leopard. Double pipe was probably a uniquely Etruscan instrument.
- The convivial theme of the Tomb of the Triclinium might seem surprising in a funereal context, but it is important to note that the Etruscan funeral rites were not somber but festive, with the aim of sharing a final meal with the deceased as the latter transitioned to the afterlife. This ritual feasting served several purposes in social terms.
- At its most basic level the funeral banquet marked the transition of the deceased from the world of the living to that of the dead; the banquetthat accompanied the burial marked this transition and ritually included the spirit of the deceased,as a portion of the meal, along with the appropriate dishes and utensils for eating and drinking, would then be deposited in the tomb.
- Another purpose of the funeral meal, games, and other activities was to reinforce the socio-economic position of the deceased person and his/her family, a way to remind the community of the living of the importance and standing of these people and thus tangibly reinforce their position in contemporary society.This would include, where appropriate, visual reminders of socio-political status, including indications of wealth and civic achievements, notably public offices held by the deceased.
- The tombs are intended to contain not only the remains of the deceased but also various grave goods or offerings deposited along with the deceased.
Two dancers on the right wall (detail),Tomb of the Triclinium,c. 470 B.C.E.,Etruscan chamber tomb, Tarquinia, Italy
G9-9 Tomb of Hunting and Fishing, Tarquinia, Italy, 530-520BC
- Etruscans were very interested in natural environment
- This mural is part of an overall theme of hunting and fishing.
- The birds are fleeing from a man hunting with a sling, and the man diving appears to be chased by another man on the peak.
- Diving into the water is like rebirth.
- we have very few examples of Greek nature art like this except the Tomb of the Diver (slide) which came after this date (in 480BCE, 50 years later) and seems more simple! Probably the example of Etruscans literally inspiring the Greek image!!! Cultural Exchange!
Later Etruscan Art
While Greece was having its Golden Age in 5th century BC, the Etruscans saw the expulsion of their last king and the beginnings of a republican (democratic kind) form of government that ended Etruscan dominance of the seas and their great time of prosperity. No more gold ornamentation found, no more elaborate tombs with imported Greek vases or top rate mural paintings. But still arts- especially terracotta and bronze.
G9-10 Capitoline Wolf, Rome, Italy, 500-480BC
- in museum in Capitoline Hill- hence name
- somewhat larger than life, bronze hollow casting- survived the bronze recycling
- she-wolf that according to legend, nursed Romulus and Remus after they were thrown in the Tiber by their granduncle (a king, who wanted to keep the throne) as infants, in an attempt to keep them from ruling. When they became adults they quarreled and Romulus killed Remus. In 753BC Romulus founds Rome and becomes king- greatly expands the empire.
- emblem of Rome even today! (see 1960’s Olympics Poster)- lots of Roman pride in the image