Analyze any Etruscan Picture: Late Etruscan Art (Term Paper Sample)

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Late Etruscan Art
The Etruscans were basically an ancient Italic culture by around 700 BC. The Etruscans culture developed from a prehistoric culture developed from Villanovan- a prehistoric civilization. By the beginning of the 7th Century, the Etruscans occupied the central part of Italy between Tiber and Arno rivers, and finally settled to the Po River valley and Campania. They succeeded until the second century when they were completely incorporated into the Roman culture (Richter et al., 10).
It is imperative to note that before Rome became what it is today, there was an excellent civilization that once controlled the entire country. This civilization was known as Etruscan. Even though the culture vanished, it marked the beginning for the development of ancient Roman culture and art, however for Italian people as well (Richter et al., 15).
It is also important to note that Etruscans were like the Americans of today. They worked along with the Greeks to develop the earliest cities in Europe. They were also very successful and in fact some of the most important cities such as Siena, Pisa and Florence were first constructed by the Etruscans and since then they have always been inhabited. Moreover, enigmatic or mysterious occurrences have always been attached to Etruscans because none of their literatures and histories have survived. This is quite ironic, since it is the Etruscans who were the first to teach the Romans the alphabet. In addition, the Etruscans were responsible for the spread of literacy across the Italian Peninsula. Etruscans had a greater influence on the ancient Rome. The Romans inherited the culture and artistic traditions from the Etruscans. Some of the vast artistic traditions that were inherited from the Etruscans include: gladiatorial combat spectacle, hydraulic engineering, religious ritual, temple design, among many other artistic traditions. Many years after the Etruscans had been conquered and incorporated into the empire by the Romans, the Romans still maintained an Etruscan priesthood in the Roman Empire (Richter et al., 21).
It is important to note that even the word ‘person’ is derived from the Etruscan mythological figure ‘Phersu’ --the masked portrait of one who sees in this Early Etruscan painting in the tomb who would engage his victims in a horrible game of blood.
The Etruscans developed an architectural and a vibrant artistic culture, one that was in dialogue with other related Mediterranean civilizations. While trading on the vast natural mineral resources that are found in Tuscany, the center of ancient Etruria resulted into a bump up against Egyptians, Phoenicians and Greeks in the Mediterranean. They were able to exchange ideas, goods and artistic vocabulary.
Contrary to the Greeks, most knowledge regarding Etruscan art originates largely from their burials. The Etruscans were very compassionate about the dead; they equipped their dead with almost everything during the burial. They did this because they believed in afterlife. It is evident that in most of their tombs, they painted and made sculptures including pottery that could be used in the next world (Richter et al., 10).
The extensive cemeteries provide an outlook at the world of the dead along with an understanding of the world of the living. In the early stages of Etruscan civilization, they perceived the afterlife in terms of life and the way they understood it. When someone passed on, the body would be cremated and offered another home for afterlife. They would make an unrefined clay commonly known as impasto to house the cremated remains of the deceased.
As the years passed on, the houses of the dead became more elaborate, especially, during Orientalizing period. It is during this period when the Etruscans began to trade on natural resources with other Mediterranean cultures, thus leading them to amass great wealth. This resulted into their tombs becoming wealthier. Regolini-Galassi is a well-known tomb that is found in the city of Cerveteri. The tomb demonstrates how the new wealth transformed a modest housing into a wealthy house for the dead. The tomb was built for a woman of high rank with massive stone tomb containing a long corridor with oval and lateral rooms leading to the main chamber (Richter et al., 31).
Capitoline Wolf from Rome Italy
The Captoline Wolf is a sculpture of a she-wolf with twin human infants suckling it. The sculptor was designed to portray the legend of the Roman Empire. The legend is about a grandfather also known as Numitor of the two twins namely Remus and Romulus. Numitor was overthrown by his brothers Amilius and his two sons casted in the Tiber River. Both Remus and Romulus were taken care of by a she-wolf that provided care for them through providing protection and food until they were rescued by Faustulus, who raised them and took care of them. The work dates back to the Etruscan age, which was around the 5th century. However, the twins were added later on in the 15th century. Most of the ancient sources have depicted the wolf suckling the two twins (Cornell 17).
The history of the sculpture is however unclear, especially, on when the sculpture was first erected. However, there are various medieval references to the wolf standing in the Pope’s Lateran Palace. During the 10th Century, the chronicon monk of the Benedict of Socrates elaborated on the Supreme Court of Justice more about the statute. The writings point out that it was first made in a place called Wolf. It is in this place that executions and trials took place. This is based on the recordings, which were made as early as 1438. During the 12th Century, Gregorius Magister, who was an English cleric wrote an essay known as Mirabillibus Urbis Romae. He then recorded an appendix where three pieces of sculpture are mentioned: In his appendix, the Wolf in portico which is at the principal entrance to the Vatican palace is mentioned. However, in his description, there is no mention of twins. According to him there was a stalking bronze which acted as fountain. He reported that the wolf had been broken off at the feet.
The current Capitoline Wolf sculptor is probably not the one that was referred by Gregorius and Benedict, if the newly assumed that age was the one to go by. Even though it can be argued that it was a replacement of the old sculptor, it is very difficult to assume that the artist would have neglected such an important fact. In the year 1471, the pope ordered the transfer of the sculptor to the Palazzo dei Conservatori, which is based at the Capitoline Hill. It is believed that the twins might have been added sometimes around that period (Cornell 17).
The Capitoline wolf has been used in the modern culture to represent various perspective and meanings. The Capitoline Wolf was used both as a poster and an emblem in the Summer Olympics that took place in 1960. The Capitoline Wolf is also used as an emblem by the Italian Serie A football club—A.S. Roma.
Tomb of the Leopards, Monterozzi necropolis, Tarquinia Italy
The Tomb of the Leopards was an Etruscan burial chamber. It is referred to as Italian Tomba dei Leopardi because of the two confronting leopards that have been painted just above the banquet scene. The tomb can be found at Necropolis and it dates back to 450 BC. The chamber is decorated with lively paintings with various animations of depictions of different gestures. In the paintings, one can see well-dressed banqueters which include couples who are being attended by two young nude boys. From the diagram, one can see that the boys are holding certain implements. In the drawing, the women are depicted as fair-skinned while the men are depicted as dark-skinned. The physical arrangement of the couples is a portrayal of the triclinium of the Roman dining. The drawings of musicians are showed on the walls to the left and right of the banquet. On the right of the wall, is a komos of musicians and wreathed figures on the banquet. The man on the far-right couch is holding an egg, which is a symbol of regeneration, while the other banqueters are showed when holding wreaths. The scene has been used to represent a dead person funeral banquet or basically a family meal that would be normally held during the anniversary of a person’s death. The drawing has been presented as a life celebration, while Etruscan banquet has been used to present earlier tombs with more somber character. From the diagrams, it seems that the event is taking place outdoors in the presence of vegetation and trees and under some canopy. The next picture on the right portrays a coupl...