Marriage sarcophagus from Cerveteri (Villa Giulia)
The spouses sarcophagus of Cerveteri ( Italian Sarcofago degli sposi ) is an Etruscan artifact from the late 6th century BC. BC and is considered to be one of the most important works of art of the Etruscan sepulchral culture . The sarcophagus was found in the Banditaccia necropolis of Cerveteri and is now kept in the Etruscan National Museum in Rome . There is another spouse's sarcophagus from Cerveteri , also from the Banditaccia necropolis and now on display in the Louvre in Paris .
description
The sarcophagus is 1.4 m high and 2.0 m long and is made of terracotta . It was made from four individually cast and fired parts. Paint residues show that the sarcophagus used to be brightly painted. Over the centuries, the sarcophagus broke into a multitude of individual parts and had to be reassembled from around four hundred fragments.
Apparently a couple is shown lying on a kline together . The couple have stretched their legs and are leaning on a cushion. The man has put his arm around the woman's shoulder in a familiar pose. The spouses convey mutual affection, but they are not facing each other, but face the viewer head-on, as if they were playing the role of hosts. The upper body of the characters are vividly drawn, legs, however, are in relief shown flattened.
Both figures are characterized by a strong build with relatively broad shoulders. The man has a well-groomed beard, his upper body is bare. The woman, on the other hand, is wrapped in a coat. In addition, she wears pointed shoes on her feet and a tutulus , a traditional Etruscan headgear, on her head . Both have long, artistically braided hair. The faces are extensive, the almond-shaped eyes, nose and lips are short and sharp. The facial features are delicate and show an archaic smile .
Location
The spouses sarcophagus was found in 1881 by Domenico Boccanera and his brother in the Banditaccia necropolis of Cerveteri, the ancient Caere , Etruscan Caisra . The necropolis was then owned by Francesco Ruspoli , the 6th Prince of Cerveteri. The Boccanera family had leased the area and carried out excavations. Felice Barnabei , the founder of the Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia in Rome, recognized the importance of the extraordinary find and purchased the sarcophagus, which was only preserved in fragments. The sarcophagus contained the ashes of two dead people and is believed to have been made around 520 BC. Dated.
The exact location of the sarcophagus is not documented, but the type of tomb that housed such sarcophagi is well known. In the 6th century BC Chr. Built the leading Etruscan families in Cerveteri large burial mounds (tumuli) to highlight their wealth and social status. Each burial mound covered one or more multi-chamber graves that had been carved out of the local tuff . The graves were regularly arranged in a road network of over 200 hectares in size.
background
In the Etruscan culture at that time cremation was mostly practiced, so that the ashes of the deceased were very likely in the sarcophagus. In this respect, the designation as a sarcophagus is not entirely appropriate, since a container in which the ashes of the deceased after a cremation is kept is called a funeral urn. A sarcophagus, on the other hand, is used to bury a corpse .
The woman seems to have been holding an object in her right hand, probably a vessel from which she was going to pour perfume into the man's outstretched hand. In her left hand she offers a small round object that has not survived either, perhaps a pomegranate , a symbol of immortality that was widespread in antiquity . The man could have lifted an egg or a wine cup with his right hand. As it is a grave sculpture, it can be assumed that these acts were part of the Etruscan burial ritual.
The representation of the faces as well as the shape of the feet of the bed show Greek influences. However, the clear contrast between the voluminous torso and the flattened legs is typically Etruscan. In the Etruscan funerary sculpture, interest focused on the upper half of the figures, particularly the lively faces and gesticulating arms. There is also no parallel in Greek art for the openly displayed affection between the married couple.
The depiction of spouses or individuals in a semi-erect posture on the lid of a sarcophagus is a genuinely Etruscan achievement. It is supposed to show the deceased at a banquet in the afterlife. This banquet in the afterlife was a recurring theme in Etruscan funerary art. The custom of the banquet, at which the participants sat down on Klinen and ate meals half-lying, had been adopted by the Etruscans from the Greeks as a symbol of economic and social distinction .
However, among the Greeks, participation in banquets was reserved for men. The sarcophagus reflects the special role of the Etruscan woman, who, in contrast to other ancient cultures, held an important place in society. Here she is shown at the side of her husband with great mutual affection, with equal proportions and posture. With the elegance of her clothes and the effect of her gestures, the female figure even seems to dominate the scene and attract all the attention.
The spouse's sarcophagus is a masterpiece of terracotta sculpture. Painted terracotta sculpture played an important role in the art of archaic Etruria. Terracotta was the standard for decorating the superstructures of Etruscan temples, and the workshops that made these sculptures often showed a high level of technicality. This is also due to the fact that marble was not yet available in archaic Italy and the Etruscans had specialized in the production and processing of terracotta.
The design of the figures shows the artist's awareness of the Mediterranean style norms, as the physiognomy reflects an Ionic influence. The rounded, calm faces and the treatment of the hairstyles would have matched the contemporary Greek styles. However, the pose of the figures, the limbs and their outstretched fingers and toes reflect local practice in Etruria . The artist was aware of the Mediterranean trends while serving a local audience. It is true that the sarcophagus who commissioned it cannot be identified, but it can be assumed that he belonged to the aristocratic upper class of Caere and was a member of an important family.
In the middle of the 6th century, Etruscan sculptors had gained their independence from their Greek models. The newly developed style can be seen in numerous works of funerary art. The representation of recumbent people was from then on an integral part of the aristocratic grave furnishings until the end of the Etruscan culture. A similar spouses sarcophagus was found in the Banditaccia necropolis of Cerveteri, perhaps from the same workshop and now on display in the Louvre in Paris . These two grave sculptures from Ceveteri are among the most important works of Etruscan art in terms of design and processing .
literature
- Fred S. Kleiner: A History of Roman Art. Cengage Learing, Wadsworth 2010, ISBN 9780495909873 , pp. XXX – XXXI.
- Friedhelm Prayon : The Etruscans. Concepts of the afterlife and ancestral cult. Philipp von Zabern, Mainz 2006, ISBN 3805336195 , p. 56.
Web links
- Sarcofago degli sposi. Museo Nazionale Etrusco di Villa Giulia, accessed July 20, 2020 .
- Sarcophagus of the Spouses. In: The Sarcophagus of the Spouses Project. Etruscan Cultural Heritage, accessed July 20, 2020 .
- The sarcophagus of the spouses. Italian Ways, accessed July 20, 2020 .
- Dr. Jeffrey A. Becker: Sarcophagus of the Spouses. Smarthistory, August 8, 2015, accessed July 20, 2020 .
- Rita Cosentino: Il Sarcofago degli Sposi: dalla scoperta alla realtà virtuale. Anabases, October 1, 2019, accessed August 26, 2020 .