Later Etruscan Art
The fifth century BCEwas a golden age in Greece but not in Etruria.
In 509 BCEthe Romans expelled the last of their Etruscan kings, Tar-
quinius Superbus (see “Etruscan Artists in Rome,” page 226), replac-
ing the monarchy with a republican form of government. In 474 BCE
an alliance of Cumaean Greeks and Hieron I of Syracuse (Sicily)
defeated the Etruscan fleet off Cumae, effectively ending Etruscan
dominance of the seas—and with it Etruscan prosperity.Classical Art
These events had important consequences in the world of art and
architecture. The number of Etruscan tombs, for example, decreased
sharply, and the quality of the furnishings declined markedly. No
longer were tombs filled with golden jewelry and imported Greek
vases or decorated with mural paintings of the first rank. But art did
not cease in Etruria. Indeed, in specialties in which Etruscan artists
excelled, especially the casting of statues in bronze and terracotta,they continued to produce impressive works, even
though fewer in number.
CAPITOLINE WOLFThe best-known of
these later Etruscan statues—one of the most
memorable portrayals of an animal in the history
of world art—is the Capitoline Wolf(FIG. 9-11).
The statue is a somewhat larger than life-size
hollow-cast bronze portrayal of the she-wolf that,
according to legend, nursed Romulus and Remus
after they were abandoned as infants. When the
twins grew to adulthood, they quarreled, and Romulus killed his
brother. On April 21, 753 BCE, Romulus founded Rome and became
the city’s king. The statue of the she-wolf seems to have been made,
however, for the new Roman Republic after the expulsion of Tar-
quinius Superbus. The appropriately defiant image became the
new government’s totem and has remained the emblem of Rome to
this day.
The Capitoline Wolf,however, is not a work of Roman art,
which had not yet developed a distinct identity, but rather is the
product of an Etruscan workshop. (The suckling infants are 15th-
century additions.) The vitality accorded the human figure in Etrus-
can art is here concentrated in the tense, watchful animal body of the
she-wolf, with her spare flanks, gaunt ribs, and taut, powerful legs.
The lowered neck and head, alert ears, glaring eyes, and ferocious
muzzle capture the psychic intensity of the fierce and protective
beast as danger approaches. Not even the great animal reliefs of
Assyria (FIG. 2-23) match this profound characterization of animal
temperament.
CHIMERA OF AREZZOAnother master-
piece of Etruscan bronze-casting is the Chimera of
Arezzo (FIG. 9-12), which dates about a century
later than the Capitoline Wolf.The chimera is a
monster of Greek invention with a lion’s head and
body and a serpent’s tail (restored in this case). A
second head, that of a goat, grows out of the lion’s
left side. The goat’s neck bears the wound the
Greek hero Bellerophon inflicted when he huntedLater Etruscan Art 2319-11Capitoline Wolf,from Rome, Italy,
ca. 500–480 bce.Bronze, 2 71 – 2 high. Musei
Capitolini, Rome.
An Etruscan sculptor cast this bronze statue of the
she-wolf that nursed the infants Romulus and
Remus, founders of Rome. The animal has a tense,
gaunt body and an unforgettable psychic intensity.9-12Chimera of Arezzo,from Arezzo, Italy, first
half of fourth century bce.Bronze, 2 71 – 2 high.
Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Florence.
The chimera was a composite monster slain by
the Greek hero Bellerophon. In this Etruscan statue,
the artist depicted the wounded beast poised to
attack and growling ferociously.1 ft.
1 ft.