Etruscan Art

ETRUSCAN ART

10th BCE- 270 BCE

Theme: “Life in Death”

Etruscan tombs provide much of what we know about the Etruscans. The theme focuses on the funerary nature of Etruscan artifacts, as well as on the vitality or liveliness inherent in many Etruscan figural works of art.

Historical Context

• 10^th BCE – 270 BCE
• Italy before the Romans
• Resided in the area between the Arno and Tiber rivers in fortified hilltop cities.
• Etruscans never formed a unified kingdom.
• The cities coexisted.
• Skilled seafarers and traders
• Greek influence on the Etruscans
• Etruscan influence on the Romans in both architecture and sculpture
• Etruscan women had a high standing.

 

Artistic Innovations

• Sophisticated necropolis with tombs with large interior chambers decorated to look like the interior of a house.
• Etruscans were heavily influenced by Archaic Greek art
  • Broad shoulders, stylization of hair, Archaic smile
  • Avoided nudity.
• Excelled in terra-cotta, bronze, iron, copper, silver, and tin.
• Temples were made of wood and terra-cotta, not stone.
• Architectural elements included pediments, columns, and cellas.
• Etruscan painting depicted the content of funerary celebrations, with brightly painted happy Etruscans drinking, eating, and celebrating.

 

 (2) 31. Temple of Minerva and sculpture of Apollo 

Temple of Minerva (elevation and plan). Master sculptor Vulca. Etruscan. 510-500 BCE. Etruscan.

The Temple of Minerva, in Veii, near Rome, Italy, was made from mudbrick and wood. Therefore, the structure has vanished.

We know what it would have looked like thanks to Roman architect Vitruvius who wrote the book De architectura, a book about Etruscan temples in the late first century BCE.

The temple measured 50 by 70 feet and was elevated on a raised platform like a stylobate. The stone foundation was made from a material called tufa, a porous limestone made from volcanic rock.

Steps in front direct your attention to the porch, the only one defined entrance in the front. It was not meant to be seen from the back or sides.

The influence of Greek architecture is evident in the pediment/columns. These Tuscan columns are Doric with a base, unfluted, made from wood and spaced widely apart. Once these columns had been painted to be both colourful and ornate.

Acroteria, or roof sculptures sat on the tops of Etruscan temples, unlike in Greek architecture, where these figures would be in the pediment.

A Dedication to Minerva

This temple was a dedication to Minerva (Athena) patron goddess of heroic endeavors. It was a place not only of worship, but community and gatherings.

The back portion of the building was divided into three separate rooms or triple cellas, known as a divine triad.  These were dedicated to Athena (Minerva), Zeus (Jupiter) and Hera (Juno)

Terra Cotta Sculptural Remains

Several terra cotta sculptures remain from the Temple of Minerva. The most prized is the Sculpture of Apollo standing at 5 feet 11 inches. This acroterion roof sculpture was painted. It has the Archaic smile that Etruscan figures tend to present as excitement and happiness. The hair is braided as is common. Apollo is stepping forward, but there is no movement in the upper body.

Who was Vulca?

Etruscan art is almost always anonymous. However, literature gives us a clue as to who created the pieces found at the Temple of Minerva. Roman writer Pliny wrote that in the late 6th century BCE, an Etruscan artist by the name of Vulca was summoned from Veii to Rome, with a request to decorate the most important temple there, the temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus.

This was a large-scale commission that required the work of a master. Art historians believe that these skills may have landed Vulca the commission at Temple of Minerva.

Today the Sculpture of Apollo resides at the Museo Nazionale di Villa Giulia, in Rome.

Temple of Minerva vs. Parthenon

Similarities

• Portico
• Columns + pediment + stylobate
• Cella

Differences

• Materials (tufa vs. marble)
• Materials of columns
• Order of columns
• Pediment (empty vs. filled)
• Sculpture location (roof vs. pediment)
• Focal point/entrance
• Cellas (3 vs. 1)

 

(2) 29.Sarcophagus of the Spouses

Etruscan. 520 BCE. Etruscan.

Learning Objective: Etruscan funerary sculpture

Themes:

Male/female relationships
Funerary
Status

Museum: Museo Nazionale di Villa Giulia, Rome

This masterwork is an anthropoid, or human-shaped painted terracotta sarcophagus found in the ancient Etruscan city of Caere, now Cerveteri, Italy.  It measures 6 feet 7 inches in length.

Purpose for Creation

This was a sarcophagus for a married couple. The ashes were placed inside.  The size of the sarcophagus was a symbol of status.

Depiction and Symbolism

In the Sarcophagus of the Spouses a couple reclines on a dining couch, eating and drinking. This was how funerals were ritualized in Etruscan society. A funeral banquet, including male and female guests, was the way of sending the deceased off to the afterlife.

Both the man and woman in the artwork hold objects that were related to a banquet.  A pomegranate was the symbol of eternal life or an egg, the symbol of regeneration.

Artistic Efforts

The detailed Caertan sarcophagus took a great deal of time to create. The rounded faces, have archaic smiles, and hairstyles that are Greek in nature. The angular composition of the bodies however was Etruscan. Looking closely, you will notice the soft cap on the woman’s head, along with the pointed shoes.

The great size meant that it needed to be fired multiple times. It was likely cut in half when it was beginning to dry and get leather hard.

Women in Society

This piece reflects the high standing of women in Etruscan society. Women were not allowed to dine with men in Ancient Greece.

Historical Background

While the work would have originally included the cremated remains of the deceased, the remains of the individuals is unknown. Historians agree that it belonged to members of the elite.

(2) 32. Tomb of the Triclinium

480-470 BCE. Etruscan.

Learning Objective: Etruscan funerary complex

Themes:

Funerary
Afterlife
Architecture

This Etruscan chamber tomb dates to 470 BCE and is in the necropolis of Tarquinia, Italy known in ancient times as Tarquinii or Tarch(u)na). The subterranean rock cut tomb, cut out of local tufa was made for both the deceased and grave goods.

Tumulus were large burial mounds in Etruscan architecture that were part of a necropolis. These  sometimes reached colossal sizes of over 130 feet across.

The Fresco

The fresco decorated wall has a focus on the banquet scene in the center. Figures are reclining on dining couches or klinai. The guests are dressed in colourful robes and being waited on by attendants. There are birds in the artwork and a cat. The left and right walls depict dancing and musicians.  The ceiling is also painted in a checkerboard pattern, depicting the tents that were temporarily erected for these events.

Note the skin colorations which were typical of the time in Etruscan art. The women have white skin, while the men have orange brown.

Historical Background

The Etruscans did not leave written records, so most of our knowledge comes from tombs and depictions of their lives. Funerals were seen as a transition from one realm to the next.  These were not sorrowful affairs, but festive.

VOCABULARY

Necropolis
Tumulus
Portico
Terra cotta
Sarcophagus