en Apollo of Veii

Apollo of Veii
Apollo of Veii
Artist	Vulca
Year	c. 510-500 BC
Type	Terracotta
Dimensions	180 cm (71 in)
Location	National Etruscan Museum, Rome

The Apollo of Veii is a life-size painted terracotta Etruscan statue of Aplu (Apollo), designed to be placed at the highest part of a temple. The statue was discovered in the Portonaccio sanctuary of ancient Veii, Latium, in what is now central Italy, and dates from c. 510-500 BC. It was created in the so-called "international" Ionic or late-archaic Etruscan style.^[1]

It was discovered in 1916, and is now on display in the National Etruscan Museum in Rome.^[1]

Creator

The statue was probably made by Vulca, an Etruscan artist who was also responsible for the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, according to Pliny.^[2] He is the only Etruscan artist known by name.^[3]

Mythological depiction

This terracotta statue was part of a scene of Apollo and Heracles contending over the Ceryneian Hind, placed 12 metres above the ground on beams on the acroterion of the Portonaccio Sanctuary of Minerva.^[4]

The statue is dressed in a tunic and short cloak, advancing towards the left with the right arm outstretched and bent (the statue's left arm is towards the ground and may have held a bow).

Together with other statues, it decorated the roof beams of the Portonaccio temple, a sanctuary dedicated to Minerva. Placed on high plinths, this series of statues were acroterial. They stood some twelve metres above the ground level and even though they were created separately, they narrated events from Greek mythology that were at least in part tied to the god Apollo.^{[citation needed]}

This statue, together with the statue of Heracles, formed a group representing one of the labours of the hero before his apotheosis made him one of the divinities of Olympus.^{[citation needed]} The myth narrates the contention between the god and the hero for the possession of the doe with the golden horns. There was probably also a statue of Mercury united to this group, of which only the head and a part of the body remain. Apollo, dressed in a tunic and short cloak, advances towards his left with his right arm outstretched and bent (his left arm is towards the ground, perhaps holding a bow); Heracles, with the doe tied around is outstretched towards the right, leaning forwards to attack with his bludgeon and with his torso in a violent curve.^{[citation needed]}

Analysis

The group was conceived for a lateral vision and the solid volume of the figures united with the dissymmetry both in Apollo (the torso and face) and in the Heracles torso suggest that the artist understood optical deformations.^{[citation needed]} The style of the statues is in the ambit of the “international” Ionic style that characterizes the Etruscan artistic culture of the late 6th century BC. The sculpture reaches a very high level of expression.

A striking aspect of the statue is its elaborate hairstyle, characterized by long, flowing tresses styled in an intricate arrangement of spiraling curls and secured by a ribbon.^[5] This hairstyle exemplifies the Etruscan fashion of the time, which favored lengthy, voluminous hair for both men and women, a trend that remained popular throughout Etruria in the late sixth century BC.^[6]

Sources

Spivey, Nigel (1997). Etruscan Art. London: Thames and Hudson.

References

^ ^a ^b Horst Woldemar Janson; Anthony F. Janson (2003). History of Art: The Western Tradition. Prentice Hall Professional. pp. 172–. ISBN 978-0-13-182895-7.
^ Pliny the Elder. Natural History. p. 35.157.
^ Barbara E. Borg (9 September 2015). A Companion to Roman Art. Wiley. pp. 97–. ISBN 978-1-118-88609-0.
^ Giuliano Bonfante; Larissa Bonfante (2002). The Etruscan Language: An Introduction, Revised Edition. Manchester University Press. pp. 17–. ISBN 978-0-7190-5540-9.
^ Lulof, Patricia S. (1996). The Ridge-pole Statues from the Late Archaic Temple at Satricum. Thesis. p. 47. ISBN 978-90-5170-355-9.
^ Bonfante, Larissa (2003-10-31). Etruscan Dress. JHU Press. p. 73. ISBN 978-0-8018-7413-0.

External links

Statue website Archived 2015-11-03 at the Wayback Machine

[JansonJanson2003-1] Horst Woldemar Janson; Anthony F. Janson (2003). History of Art: The Western Tradition. Prentice Hall Professional. pp. 172–. ISBN 978-0-13-182895-7.

[2] Pliny the Elder. Natural History. p. 35.157.

[Borg2015-3] Barbara E. Borg (9 September 2015). A Companion to Roman Art. Wiley. pp. 97–. ISBN 978-1-118-88609-0.

[BonfanteBonfante2002-4] Giuliano Bonfante; Larissa Bonfante (2002). The Etruscan Language: An Introduction, Revised Edition. Manchester University Press. pp. 17–. ISBN 978-0-7190-5540-9.

[5] Lulof, Patricia S. (1996). The Ridge-pole Statues from the Late Archaic Temple at Satricum. Thesis. p. 47. ISBN 978-90-5170-355-9.

[6] Bonfante, Larissa (2003-10-31). Etruscan Dress. JHU Press. p. 73. ISBN 978-0-8018-7413-0.

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