- chapter 6: Orientalizing Etruria –
Figure 6.23 Statuette of nude woman in ivory. Marsiliana d’Albegna,
Circolo della Fibula, tomb XLI. 675–650 bc Firenze, Museo Archeologico Nazionale.Figure 6.24 Tarquinia, Tumulo della Regina: view of external ceremonial area with staircase; on the
walls painted plaster. Photo Università degli Studi di Torino: courtesy of Alessandro Mandolesi.established practice of the Near East (Egypt, Syria-Palestine, Cyprus). It is conceivable
that this ancient wall painting was created by hands of masters coming directly from the
eastern Mediterranean following a standard technique compatible with the climate of
the original areas, but totally unsuited to the environmental conditions of Etruria. For
this reason the plaster and colors appeared greatly deteriorated to the discoverers, to the
extent that they were almost illegible. It is possible that this rare survivor of the fi rst
achievements in Tarquinia mural painting represents only a small sample of a broader and
unsuspected fi gurative heritage wrecked because of inherent technological limitations
that were incompatible with local conditions. A careful reading of the remains tends to
restore fl oral elements and perhaps human fi gures. In the “Tumulus of the Queen” the
painting is also associated with monumental statuary, as demonstrated by a fragmentary