- chapter 58: Mirrors in art and society –
them, although a position between the lower legs or near the feet was most common
in these graves; (4) The most common subject decorating the mirrors was the Lasa, or
winged genius;^66 (5) Of the 31 Etruscan tombs studied, 14 had mirrors associated with
them (circa 44 percent); they contained a total of 32 mirrors, some fragmentary.
A fascinating burial at the Cannicella necropolis, Orvieto, has a mirror propped
up beside the skeleton’s face as if she is looking at the non-refl ecting side with a Lasa
engraved on it (Fig. 58.21).^67 Nothing quite this dramatic was found at Tarquinia or,
for that matter, anywhere else in Etruscan territory. From this small sample we see that
mirror usage in burials varied according to time and place. In fact, some practices (for
example, the use of śuθina) seem to have been known as a concept for a long period of
time but only used in a relatively localized area for a short period. The same seems to be
true for the placement of mirrors relative to the body of the deceased. There is also the
problem of quantity: how many mirrors should accompany the deceased? Usually, one
mirror suffi ces, if we can trust our small sample size. But in one case, an alleged tomb
group from Chiusi^68 excavated in the late nineteenth century, there are eleven associated
mirrors! One possibility is that they did indeed all come from the same chamber tomb
but that it contained several female cremation burials and all the mirrors were clustered
together by the excavator or the antiquities dealer.
To conclude, mirrors are being studied with intense zeal today. Scholars are realizing
that they have much to tell us on a variety of levels. The results are rewarding and are
giving us a far more nuanced understanding of Etruscan culture.
Figure 58.21 Female skeleton with Lasa mirror, from Tomb A, Cannicella necropolis, Orvieto.
Adapted from Stopponi 1994, p. 217, Fig. 62 and p. 228, pl. XXXII.