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Estruscan Clay Figures: Unraveling the Mystery

Like most prehistoric pottery throughout the world, Etruscan clay figurines are generally found within burial plots. Whole pots or figures are considered incredibly rare, as most pottery pieces are shattered and found fragmented in trash pits and house basins throughout the archaeological record. There are several different examples of clay figures from the Etruscan era that are incredibly beautiful and inspiring. When considering past art pieces, try and consider their manufacturing process and how they could possible accomplish something so beautiful with their limited means.

A popular Etruscan clay figure was burial funerary portraits; clay figures that displayed the individual (or individuals) in death. A Terracotta Sarcophagus from Tomb at Cerveter (530 BCE) displays a husband and wife, beautifully holding one another on a bed. This incredible piece is almost life size (keep in mind that people were a bit shorter then they are today) at 100cm in height. This particular piece would be incredibly difficult to craft, even with today’s methods and it was crafted in two pieces. Great care was taken in crafting the whole piece: from their smiling faces to the woman’s’ delicate feet, to the cushions at their back to the folds in her beautiful dress.