Etruscan, probably from Veii

Brightly painted terracotta statues and reliefs decorated the roofs and spaces of Etruscan temples. This sculpture was made by pressing damp clay into molds, then joining the molded sections to form the complete head. The crown suggests that this man may be a priest, or possibly the god Apulu, the Etruscan god related to Apollo, the ancient Greek and Roman god of the arts.

 

Mold-pressed earthenware (terracotta), 450-430 B.C.
Gift of the Anderton Bentley Foundation, the Clarence Brown Fund, the Dana Art Fund, the Michael J. Davies Memorial Fund, the Godwin Art Fund, Dr. and Mrs. Charles Klippel,and the Museum Art Fund, 1986.101