CHAPTER FIFTY FOUR

ETRUSCAN TERRACOTTA FIGURINES

Helen Nagy

A

ncient religious practice throughout the Near East and the Mediterranean relied
heavily on the offering of gifts to the gods.^1 In Etruria thousands of dedicatory
objects of various sizes, materials and types fi ll the storerooms of museums and
excavations. Terracotta fi gurines comprise the largest votive category with a long
chronological span and a great variety of subjects from simple animal forms to elaborately
detailed representations. Many types, especially the “Tanagras,” display strong Greek
infl uence (Fig. 54.1), others refl ect Cypriot and Near Eastern styles.^2 Since clay is easily
manipulated and reproduced, this medium lends itself to mass production^3 alterations.
Etruscan terracotta fi gurines exhibit a particular tendency to “customize” or alter existing
molds by changing attributes, duplicating fi gures and creating new groupings. A closer
look at a selection of categories of fi gurines from Cerveteri and Veii reveals the rich
variety that could result in this medium with very little effort.

HISTORY AND TECHNIQUE

Pliny the Elder tells us (HN 35, etc.) that the art of modeling in clay was brought to
Italy around the middle of the seventh century bc by Demaratus of Corinth who fl ed to
Italy and settled in Tarquinia. According to sources (Pliny, HN 35.43.152; Livy 1.33)
he was accompanied by artists who helped spread the technique of clay working (pottery
and sculpture). By the early sixth century bc, “...this art had already been brought to
perfection by Italy and especially by Etruria...” says Pliny (HN 35.45,157) referring
to Varro’s account of the contract received by Vulca of Veii for the statue of Jupiter
Capitolinus. A short time elapsed between learning and perfecting the technique. One has
only to look at the statues of the Portonaccio Temple in Veii (Fig. 54.2; see also Chapter
30) to appreciate the validity of Varro’s assessment.^4 These impressive and powerful large
statues attest to a superb mastery of the terracotta technique on a large scale.
The preferred technique for producing terracotta fi gurines involves the use of a matrix
(or mold) taken from a hand modeled prototype or an existing fi gurine.^5 Usually a matrix
is used only for the front, and the back of the fi gurine is a slab with a vent-hole to ensure
successful fi ring (Fig. 54.3a–b). Some fi gurines will have both front and back molded