Day 52 - Etruscan cart
June 5, 2018
This large gallery (170) is devoted to the Etruscans. While not exactly hidden, it is tucked away on the mezzanine and thus breaks the chronological continuity of the other classical galleries devoted to Greece and Rome.
But what a discovery it is! I had never particularly focused on the Etruscans before, and I'm blown away by their skill in working bronze (as the many statuettes of human figures, animals, and satyrs attest), by the beauty of the gold jewelry, by the elegant terracotta cinerary urns, and by the general material wealth of the culture on display here.
The inevitable object of the day, which occupies pride of place in the middle of the room, is a bronze chariot, perhaps 10 feet long from the yoke to the back wheels, dating from the second quarter of the 6th century B.C.E. and found at Monteleone, near Spoleto. This and similar chariots were apparently not used in combat; rather, they had a ceremonial function and carried important personages in processions, with the platform of the chariot being large enough to accommodate the driver and the V.I.P.
The metal yoke of the chariot is decorated with lions' heads on either side and an eagle at the front. But what is striking to me is that the chariot depicts scenes from the life of Achilles. The tallest panel, at the chariot's front, shows Thetis giving her son a helmet and shield (is the head of a Gorgon represented on the shield? I'm not sure). One side panel shows a battle between two soldiers (one of whom is presumably Achilles, who is thrusting a spear into the breastplate of an unfortunate Trojan) and the other, the apotheosis of Achilles, a theme with which I'm not familiar. He is in a chariot being drawn upward by a pair of winged horses, kind of Elijah-like. I'm not sure I've seen a bearded Achilles in other images of the hero.
It's interesting that the chariot, although not used for military purposes, depicts scenes from the Trojan War. But what really impresses me is how familiar the story of Achilles must have been to the Etruscans. (A number of other objects in the room also show scenes related to his exploits.) Homer must, by then, have been known and admired throughout the Mediterranean world. How did this come to pass? I'm not sure, although, according to a wall plaque, the Etruscans had widespread commercial dealings with the Greeks, along with the Egyptians, the Phoenicians, and their other Italic neighbors. In addition, many, though not all, Etruscan gods and goddesses had close Greek and Roman counterparts. It all makes me realize just how interconnected the Mediterranean world of that time was - and the power of literature to shape that world.
But what a discovery it is! I had never particularly focused on the Etruscans before, and I'm blown away by their skill in working bronze (as the many statuettes of human figures, animals, and satyrs attest), by the beauty of the gold jewelry, by the elegant terracotta cinerary urns, and by the general material wealth of the culture on display here.
The inevitable object of the day, which occupies pride of place in the middle of the room, is a bronze chariot, perhaps 10 feet long from the yoke to the back wheels, dating from the second quarter of the 6th century B.C.E. and found at Monteleone, near Spoleto. This and similar chariots were apparently not used in combat; rather, they had a ceremonial function and carried important personages in processions, with the platform of the chariot being large enough to accommodate the driver and the V.I.P.
The metal yoke of the chariot is decorated with lions' heads on either side and an eagle at the front. But what is striking to me is that the chariot depicts scenes from the life of Achilles. The tallest panel, at the chariot's front, shows Thetis giving her son a helmet and shield (is the head of a Gorgon represented on the shield? I'm not sure). One side panel shows a battle between two soldiers (one of whom is presumably Achilles, who is thrusting a spear into the breastplate of an unfortunate Trojan) and the other, the apotheosis of Achilles, a theme with which I'm not familiar. He is in a chariot being drawn upward by a pair of winged horses, kind of Elijah-like. I'm not sure I've seen a bearded Achilles in other images of the hero.
It's interesting that the chariot, although not used for military purposes, depicts scenes from the Trojan War. But what really impresses me is how familiar the story of Achilles must have been to the Etruscans. (A number of other objects in the room also show scenes related to his exploits.) Homer must, by then, have been known and admired throughout the Mediterranean world. How did this come to pass? I'm not sure, although, according to a wall plaque, the Etruscans had widespread commercial dealings with the Greeks, along with the Egyptians, the Phoenicians, and their other Italic neighbors. In addition, many, though not all, Etruscan gods and goddesses had close Greek and Roman counterparts. It all makes me realize just how interconnected the Mediterranean world of that time was - and the power of literature to shape that world.
* * *
I am very annoyed not to visit galleries 163-169, which have been roped off for days, if not longer. The story I've heard is that there are not enough guards to patrol the galleries. I wonder if many of them have been deployed to the extremely popular "Heavenly Bodies" special exhibit (fashions inspired by the Catholic church), and I would be even more annoyed if this is the case -- especially because I don't think anyone is about to jump over the barriers to touch the Balenciaga and St. Laurent and Thom Browne outfits on display. But, after coming to the museum twice, finding "my" galleries inaccessible, and leaving, I decided I'd just bite the bullet and move forward. I'm glad I did.
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