L'Ombra della Sera:
Etruscan Splendors from Volterra in TuscanyThe Sidney Mishkin Gallery is proud to present at exhibition of some of the finest examples of Etruscan art from Volterra in Tuscany. With sculpture, funerary art, and artifacts from the eight through the second century B.C., this exhibition spans the rise and eclipse of Etruscan civilization.
The magnificent and mysterious title piece, Ombra della Sera--an elongated, stunningly modern looking bronze figure, dating to the third century B.C.--has been likened to the sculptures of the renowned twentieth-century Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti. Its purpose has long been debated by classical scholars and archaeologists; however, recent scholarship suggests that Ombra della Sera represents a young deity associated with the cult of fertility. The figure's elongated form originates in a specific local anticlassical tradition.
The town of Volterra dates its origins to the original Etruscan settlements of the Iron Age. The oldest objects in the exhibition come from the eighth-century tomb of a warrior at Poggio alle Croce, a hillside burial place near Volterra. The items found--including a crested helmet, a lance head, a horse's bit, and various banquet accessories--indicate the high social standing of the deceased. Unearthed recently, these splendid relics are being exhibited for the first time outside their home region. Also included in the exhibition are several carved alabaster funerary urns adorned with reclining figures.
This extraordinary show is made possible by the Province of Pisa, Tuscany and the Sidney Mishkin Gallery, in collaboration with the Museo Guarnacci of Volterra, the Fondazione Piaggio, the Italian Cultural Institute of New York, and The Magazine of La Cucina Italiana.
© 1998 Sidney Mishkin Gallery, Baruch College