Chapter 5: Etruscan Art

Tuscan order

an order of ancient architecture featuring slender, smooth columns that sit on simple bases; no carvings on the frieze or in the capitals

Tufa

a porous rock similar to limestone

Triclinium

a dining table in ancient Rome that has a couch on three sides for reclining at meals

Stucco

a fine plaster used for wall decorations or moldings

Terra cotta

a hard ceramic clay used for building or for making pottery

Vulca

the master sculptor

necropoli

Much of what is known about the Etruscans comes from their tombs, which are arranged in densely packed \_______ throughout the Italian region of Tuscany, an area named for the Etruscans.

Vitruvius

Little is known about Etruscan temples, except what can be gleaned from the Roman architect \_____, who wrote about them extensively.

Temple of Minerva

* Little architecture survives
* Temple raised on a podium; defined visible entrance.
* Deep porch places doorways away from the steps.
* Dedicated to Athena (Minerva)

Tomb of the Triclinium

* Ancient convention of men painted in darker colors than women.
* Painted tomb in an Etruscan necropolis.
* Named after an ancient Roman dining table, which appears in the fresco.

terra cotta, stucco, and bronze

Etruscans preferred \___________ for their sculpture; on occasion, stonework was introduced.

Sarcophagus of the Spouses

* Full-length portraits.
* Great concentration on the upper bodies, less on the legs.
* a married couple, whose ashes were placed inside, or perhaps a large urn used for the ashes of the dead.

Apollo from Veii

* One of four large figures that once stood on the roof of the temple at Veii.
* Part of a scene from Greek mythology involving the third labor of Hercules
* May have been carved by Vulcan of Veii, the most famous Etruscan sculptor of the age.