Chapter 6: Art of the
Etruscan
The Etruscans were probably related to the Neolithic people called the Villanovans who
occupied Northern & Western Italy around 1000 BCE. They also had contact with the
Greeks who established colonies around 750 BCE. Greeks called them “Tyrrhenian”
after the sea. Between the 7th and 6th century Etruria gained control of the western
Mediterranean; the naval fleet rivaled Greece and the Phoenicians. The Etruscans
established trade routes with Near East, North Africa, and the Aegean islands.
The early Etruscan government began as independent city states. They adopted the Greek
pantheon of deities, and divination practices of the Near East (traded with the
Phoenicians, modern day Lebanon). The Etruscans temples were similar to Greek
temples, but Etruscans were built from mud bricks, with entablatures made from wood or
tufa (volcanic ash).
Etruria was a very wealthy and fertile area. They had plenty of natural ore and metal
components and were consider very good farmers, excellent metal workers, sailors and
merchants. The Etruscans urban areas were laid out in grid plan, with houses built
around atrium with a shallow pool to catch rain water. They would contribute the Tuscan
column, which is a mild variation of a Doric column.
Etruscan architecture was heavily based on the Greek prototype. The temple of Veii
influenced by the Greeks. The temple is a wattle and daub
construction featuring gabled porches instead of the more
traditional pediments. The temple is reconstructed
according to the description by Vitruvius, who was a
roman architect and engineer. While the Etruscan would
also borrow the Greek pronaos and wooden roof, the
Etruscan would place their temples on a high podium.
This change helps to differentiate the front entrance,
giving the temple an overall appearance of mass.
The wolf in the Etruscan iconology is considered to be a
protector. According to legend there was another similar
statue on Capitoline Hill that was destroyed by lightening.
This she wolf has been (mistakenly) believed to be
Roman. But the decorative patterning on the fur,
naturalistic musculature, and small triangular shaped eyes
(that were inlaid) are Etruscan style convention. Romulus
and Remus (babies) were added in the 15th century.
The Etruscans were well known as excellent metal worker;
as apparent by the chimera. This figure was originally part of
group of sculptures about a Greek myth. The monster is
posed for action; the face is
contorted in pain. The tensed
forearms and raised hunches add
to the drama of the pose. The
archaic Greek style is also used
as a model in the sculpture.
Originally place on the roof of
the temple of Veii, Apollo is often compared to the
archaic Kouros. The Etruscans also excelled at making
monumental terra cotta statues. The same sense of
dynamic movement that was in the chimera and she wolf
is even more apparent in Apollo. Apollo sports the
archaic smile and athletic build, but he is fully clothed
and has the small eyes and decorative drapery; very well
unified characteristics of Greek idealism and Egyptian
stylization. The terra cotta Apollo strides confidently and
independently into space in spite of the column
Mars of Todi was made later in the classical Greek style. The
body is not as idealize as the Greek counterpart, certainly more
naturalistic in appearance and the contrapposto position of the
figure creates a more lively composition. Our Mars is named for
the region and the obvious warrior like armor and clothing of the
figure. The face less archaic more individualize but still a
memory image face. In right held a libation bowl and left hand a
lance. Most assuredly shows off the mastery of Etruscan metal
smiths.
The burial practices of ancient cultures reveals quite a bit for
contemporary scholars. The Etruscan cremated their dead and
placed ashes in urns of different shapes. Some
are made to resemble what is believed to be
the first known style of home in central Italy. The Mater Matuta
is a very unusual limestone monumental female cinerary. The
cinerary is a contemporary of the classical Greek sculpture. Again
the influence of Greece is apparent in the expression on the face
and in the overall organic treatment of the figure. The female
could be some sort of protective figure; she holds a child on her lap
and is seated on a throne that is flanked by sphinxes.
Even though the Etruscans practiced
cremation and stored ashes in cinerary,
they did build tombs. Their beliefs
about after life mirror the Egyptians.
By the 7th century the Etruscans would
start to cut out several rock chambers
and covered with tumuli (large earth
mounds).
The cemeteries were built to resemble homes and towns. The La Banditaccia
Cemetery is laid out like a typical Etruscan town. The chambers are excavated under
the ground and roofed over with a corbel vaulted ceiling and covered with dirt and
stone.
Burial sites have been used to reconstruct the towns of
Etruscan society. This plan shows a somewhat complex
tomb: staircase is located between two tomb chambers.
There is a door on each side of entrance, and 3 rooms in the
back which is surrounded by a large central room.
The typical home was made from mud brick and was built
around an
atrium or central
courtyard. The
interior of the tombs
were carved to
imitate an actual
home. Furnishing
and tools and
weapons are in low
relief or sculpted in
stucco which is a slow drying plaster.
The Etruscans
would continue to
develop their
funerary arts. They
already
excelled in monumental
terra cotta
sculpture, that skill
would easily
be translated into the
funerary arts
as well. The portrait
sarcophagus
evolved from portrait
urns and
cinerary jars to these
monumental
terra cotta pieces. The
sarcophagus is
meant for the ashes of
the deceased
couple. The husband
and wife are
seen in a jovial mood,
the enjoying
each others company.
The facial features and stylized hair continue to show the Greek influence on
Etruscan artwork. From the waist up the figures appear more rounded; waist down the
artist emphasizes style over accuracy. The cloth draped over the figure implies their
marital status. The animated gestures of figures and overall sense of liveliness gives
life after death.
The Etruscans also painted their tomb with images of everyday life. The tomb of
leopards (titled that because of the 2
leopards painted above the people.
Leopards were believed to protect
the tomb from evil). The wall
painting shows men and women
lounging (like sarcophagus couple)
at banquet. The positions of the
figures are very similar to that of the
sarcophagus couple except the heads
are in profile. The colors used are in
earth tones with drapery, plants wreaths and other detail
accented in greens, blues and yellows. This banquet
scene may not represent specific ritual. In other tomb
paintings men and women are often portrayed socializing together in some sort of
celebration.
Online Resources
http://www.mysteriousetruscans.com/ Etruscans