Cinerary Urn

Artist Etruscan

Date160–140 BCE

Mediumterracotta with traces of polychrome

Dimensions111.8 x 94 x 55.9 cm (44 x 37 x 22 in.)

ClassificationsSculpture

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Terms

Object number1926.19

Label TextThis urn, found in a tomb near Chiusi in central Italy, reveals the mastery of the Etruscan craftsman in molding terra cotta. Modeled in high relief and in the round, the work conveys emotional pathos and drama. Once painted, it still bears traces of red, blue, vermilion, brown, and yellow. The figure of the old man on the top portrays the deceased, whose ashes were contained within the urn. Propped up on pillows, he reclines as if enjoying a banquet in a conventional pose that was later copied by the Romans. Characteristic of Etruscan portraiture is the unflinching naturalism of the wrinkled face and flabby body- specific features that would have identified the man to friends and family. The six figures engaged in vigorous combat on the front panel of the base suggest that the deceased was a soldier. On the ends, under the arched entrances to Hades, wait the dread figures of Vanth, goddess of the dead, and Charun, escort of the dead. The latter, winged and wearing a lion skin, owns the hammer that rests on the altar beside him.ProvenanceDecember 1858, discovered by Giovanni Paolozzi in an Etruscan tomb at a location called Vignagrande, near Chiusi (ancient Clusium), Italy. By 1869, William Henry Forman [1794-1869], Pippbrook House, Dorking, England; 1890, transferred with Forman collection to Callaly Castle, Northumberland. (1925, Sydney Burney [1878-1951], London); (1925, Raymond Henniker-Heaton [1874-1963], London); 1926, purchased by the Worcester Art Museum.

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