Etruscan art was an integral part of the development of Etruscan society. From the eighth to the second century BC, it passes through four main phases: the Orientalising era, the Archaic era, the Classical era and finally, the Hellenistic era.

As the names of the eras suggest, Greek culture heavily influenced Etruscan art. Yet Etruscan art also contains many unique features in terms of style and content.

Etruscan Bronzeware

Few examples of Etruscan bronzeware survive, probably because much of it was melted down for coinage as the Romans conquered the various Etruscan cities. But surviving pieces show the Greek influence on early Etruscan metalwork. For example, bronze figures of warriors and helmets from the sixth century BC look distinctly Archaic Greek in style.

However, over time, Etruscan bronzeware evolved. Later examples of Etruscan bronzes — especially statues and facial portraits such as the first century BC statue The Orator — demonstrated a less archaic, more individual look. The Etruscans also began to use bronze as a medium for creating incised scenes from their own mythology.

The Etruscan’s skill in working with bronze was such that their original mentors held them in high regard. The playwright Athanaeus praised the quality of Etruscan bronze work in his Symposium and even into the Roman period, Etruscan cities such as Clusium and Arretium continued to manufacture high-quality bronzes.

Etruscan Pottery and Sculpture

Etruscan pottery closely modelled itself on Greek black and red-figure ware and Greek-style craters and drinking vessels. But once again, a uniquely Etruscan style began to emerge: Black Bucchero pottery, a black styled pot incised rather than painted.

Etruscan pottery inadvertently reveals much about Etruscan society. Most of surviving ceramics are of funerary ware. Terracotta hut urns, used for cremated remains, were styled to resemble typical Etruscan dwellings of round wattle and daub huts. 

Terracotta was also used in decorative panels, not only in tombs but in houses, as a recently excavated Etruscan villa in Murlo demonstrates. Large painted terracotta panels were also used to decorate the building entrances, set with figures in relief.

Hollow, kiln-fired terracotta figures also decorated Etruscan temple roofs. Arranged on the tiles at the roof edge and down the ridge, the bases of these statues were shaped to fit their exact position on the roof. The figurines were painted and became a distinct feature of Etruscan temple decoration.

As with pottery, Most surviving examples of Etruscan sculpture occur in funerary art on sarcophagi made of clay or terracotta. As with early Etruscan bronzes, these sculptures begin stylistically resembling archaic Greek figures before developing a more assured natural and uniquely Etruscan style.

However, even when they copied the Greek style, Etruscan sculpture retained a unique element — and told tales about Etruscan social customs. The Sarcophagus of the Spouses, a sixth-century BC archaic-style terracotta tomb, depicts a married couple reclining together on a dining couch. This sarcophagus marks the differences between the public and private roles of the sexes in Etruscan and Greek society. In Greece, men and women dined separately. Based on the evidence of the sarcophagus, this clearly wasn’t the case in ancient Etruria.

Etruscan Frescos

Once again, most Etruscan frescos survive in tombs. Paintings were two dimensional, used an array of bright colours and showed animated action. Again, these paintings often demonstrate Greek stylistic influence — but with a uniquely Etruscan flavour.

Tombs paintings show the Greek influences on broader Etruscan culture. Frescos depict Greek-style wrestling and elements of Greek mythology. Yet when Greek figures appear, they are portrayed in a specific Etruscan style. The fourth century BC Tomb of Orcus in the town of Tarquinia includes underworld scenes featuring a figure based on the Greek Charon. The Greek Charon was a simple ferryman, but the Etruscan version is embellished to be altogether more frightening. Carrying a hammer rather than an oar, he is accompanied by monsters, and his flesh is the colour of a decomposing corpse. 

Etruscan religious ceremonies portrayed in tomb frescos were, however, uninfluenced by Greece. The Tomb of the Augers shows a man with a curved staff, interpreted as an auger, a specifically Etruscan office. Many other frescos feature funeral feasts and death rites that are not Greek in style, such as scenes interpreted as gladiatorial contests in portraits of Etruscan funeral games.

Etruscan tombs also give a general overview of Etruscan life. Frescos also show scenes from daily life: fishermen about their work, banquet scenes and dancing, with birds and animals intermingling with human figures showing the importance of nature in day-to-day life. As with pottery and statues, many funeral scenes again show both sexes dining together.

Resources

Illustrated Dictionary of Archaeology

Gates, C (2003). Ancient Cities: The Archaeology of Urban Life in the Ancient Near East and Egypt, Greece and Rome. Routledge: London and New York.

Etruscan Art — The Mysterious Etruscans