Italy, Etruria, ca. 5th century BCE. A fragment from a wall painting depicting a human face viewed in profile with almond-shaped eyes and a long hand painted behind the face. The neck and shoulders are missing, but what appears to be a woman's breast and long hair in multiple plaits completes the rest of the visible painted scene. The colors are faded, but there are several distinctive pigments present, including a dark brown for the skin and an almost black color for the hair and eyes. The painting has been done using dark, thick outlines that are then filled in with color. Size: 7.25" W x 5.25" H (18.4 cm x 13.3 cm)

Elite Etruscans had elaborate funerary rituals and the wealthiest among them had wonderfully decorated chamber tombs like the famous Tomb of the Triclinium near Tarquinia in central western Italy. The frescoes in that tomb may give a clue to the original theme of the scene painted here. They depict dancing, banqueting, and general merriment. Etruscan funeral rites were festive, centered on the theme of sharing a final convivial meal with the deceased, and a portion of this meal would be placed in dishes and other vessels inside the tomb as an offering for the dead. The style of this fresco speaks to the cultural influences that informed Etruscan art as a result of their extensive trading network: the Greeks, the Egyptians, and the cultures of the ancient Near East.

Provenance: private Swiss collection

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#124242

Piece is a fragment, as shown. Nice remaining pigment. Attached wire on reverse for display on wall.