The Etruscan tradition continued when Etruria was already ruled by Rome. It is more a character than a real portrait. First half of the first century B. C.
3 Terracotta heads were among the most popular votive offerings of the Etruscans, produced from the fourth century B. C. onward in great quantities. The two heads which are included here stand out from this mass production. The fine head of a young woman does so in three ways: (1) her outstanding artistic quality, (2) the existence of some elements of personalization, and (3) the fact that it was not merely a head but must have belonged to a bust if not to a complete statue. If not a portrait, it was at least clearly intended as an image of an individual. Of course, the primary concern was to show her youth and her beauty. The artist also managed to convey her reserve and her modesty, the most often praised female virtures in antiquity. The variation from standard proportions suggests a possible chronological connection with the great flourishing of portraits in neighboring Rome in the first century B. C. Even though the original polychromy has been lost, the image retains its impact.
4 The well-preserved polychromy is the main attraction of the other terracotta Etruscan head. This was a standard ex-voto head with only the neck now missing. Closer inspection reveals much more cursory work than the first impression makes one believe. The individuality also dissipates in this closer view. The style places it in a neoclassical trend, in preview of Augustan portraiture. This head dates later than that of the girl, perhaps to the third quarter of the first century B. C.
4. Terracotta head of a youth with well-preserved polychromy
This was a standard ex-voto offering with little individual characterization. Third quarter of the first century B. C.
World History
