Our knowledge about the Etruscan civilization is
extremely limited. Our understanding of their
language is still incomplete and most of the
information that is known comes to us through
the Romans, their one time subjects who grew to
become their masters. The Etruscans lived under
a series of autonomous city-states spread out
across northern and central Italy. By the 3rd
Century B.C., they would be absorbed into the
burgeoning Roman Empire.
Made from a reddish clay, this gorgeous head
still bears a remarkable amount of the original
polychrome that once decorated its surface. His
long beard is colored black. A series of
undulating engraved lines imitate the texture of
the beard, further enhancing the sense of
naturalism. The physiognomy of this figure
suggests he may be the satyr Silenos, a
legendary companion of Dionysus. His plump,
full cheeks, broad nose, and full beard all
suggest this attribution. It is possible that this
sculpture served as an architectural decorative
element known as an antefix.
Antefixes were placed at the ends of cover tiles
that ran along the sides of a building's roof.
These polychrome terracotta plaques provided
necessary protection from the weather for the
wooden framework of the building. This custom
was prevalent all over Etruria (the lands of the
Etruscan), Latium, and Campania from the 7th
century B.C. until the Roman period. In Archaic
and Classical times, the Estrucan city of Caere
(modern Cerveteri) seems to have been an
important center for the production of such
works and this protome may very well come from
there.
