Etruscan Sculpture

Back when I was a impressionable youth,
my father took me to the
Cincinnati Art Museum
and declared that their
Etruscan-stickman-warrior
was the best sculpture in their collection.


Regretfully,
on my last trip there,
I couldn't get a good photo
through the reflective glass case
and the piece
can't be found on the museum's website










And, to my surprise,
there wasn't much on the Internet either,
or even in the art books
at the Ryerson Library




But whatever I find
will be added to this post.

None of them seem as good
as the one I remember
seeing when I was 12,
but that could just be
the nature of my memory






most of the ones I'm finding now
appear to be from a later
less anorexic style,
which is good too,
but not quite as exciting









I feel kind of bad
for the old Etruscans.

They seem like an elegant
and gentle people.

As the Roman historian, Livy, tells us
every Spring a Roman army
would march north to do battle,
and after a few generations of this,
Etruria finally succumbed.



























this is one of my favorite pieces
from the books,
and I think this book
was in my parents' collection.


Etruscan sculpture was a big deal
in the modern art world of the early 20th C.
(that's why there was such a good market
for forgeries - which fills the first few pages
of a Google search)








But today,
that enthusiasm has waned.

(BTW - the above piece is #1 for me,
not at all hurt by the background
cleverly placed behind it)



The Art Institute of Chicago doesn't have
any Etruscan bronze warriors,
but it does have this wonderful terracotta.

What a great action scene!
(and perfect composition)