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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1978.517
Title
Warrior
Classification
Sculpture
Work Type
statuette, sculpture
Date
first half 6th century BCE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Europe, Etruria
Period
Archaic period
Culture
Etruscan
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/304123

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Leaded bronze
Technique
Cast, lost-wax process
Dimensions
8.5 x 2.3 cm (3 3/8 x 7/8 in.)
Technical Details

Technical Observations: The patina is olive green. The figurine was chemically cleaned, perhaps by electrolytic method and has suffered great loss of surface detail and material. The hands and feet are missing; the thin Giacommetti-like peg-shaped terminals of the legs and arms are the result of corrosion and aggressive cleaning methods. A large modern hole was drilled into the figure’s back for mounting.

The figure is solid. Not much can be said about the method of fabrication due to the condition of the piece, but in the left elbow one can still see the remains of a rounded brass pin used to attach a shield.


Francesca G. Bewer (submitted 2002)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Private Collection, Watertown, MA (by 1958), gift; to Fogg Art Museum.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Anonymous Gift
Accession Year
1978
Object Number
1978.517
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Published Catalogue Text: Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Bronzes at the Harvard Art Museums
The helmeted warrior stands frontally. The helmet, which covers the entire head and face, appears to be of the Corinthian type, with nose guard, cutouts for eyes, and a slightly flaring neck guard. The figure is otherwise nude except for a triangular loincloth, indicated only on the front. No neck appears between the helmet and the broad shoulders; the torso is stylized, tapering to the waist, with round hips and defined musculature in the thin legs, which are missing the feet. Although the legs are separated, they remain next to each other, indicating that the figure is standing still. He holds his upper arms close to his side; the right arm is almost completely attached to the torso, while the left arm is partially attached, with a small spur connecting the elbow to the torso. Both arms are bent at 90 degree angles at the waist, and the forearms held out; the hands are missing. The figure is modeled in the round, but featureless on the back except for the vertical line of the spine and the modern hole in the center.

E. Richardson describes the pose as “Hittite” and dates a similar piece in the Museo Archeologico, Florence, to the late seventh to early sixth centuries BCE (1).

NOTES:

1. Inv. no. 91381; see E. Richardson, Etruscan Votive Bronzes: Geometric, Orientalizing, Archaic (Mainz, 1983) 164-64 (Early Archaic Warriors), no. 1, fig. 375-76, pl. 107. Another good comparison for the piece is a slightly smaller warrior in the Vatican’s Museo Gregoriano Etrusco dated to the last quarter of the 6th century BCE; see C. Cagianelli, Bronzi a figura umana, Monumenti Musei e Gallerie Pontificie Museo Gregoriano Etrusco Cataloghi 5 (Vatican City, 1999) 157-58, no. 14.


Lisa M. Anderson

Exhibition History

  • 32Q: 2540 Renaissance, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 07/18/2018 - 11/15/2018

Subjects and Contexts

  • Ancient Bronzes

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu