Pottery mug in the form of the wreathed head of a boy
Etruscan, about 325-275 BC
From Vulci (Lazio, Italy)
Perhaps a server at a drinking party
Drinking vessels shaped like human or animal heads became
popular in the Classical and Hellenistic periods, and combined the
traditional skills of the potter with the use of moulds to produce
the modelled surfaces. The art of the Hellenistic period drew on a
wide range of subjects from the rich mix of Hellenistic society. As
part of an art that was interested in individual human experience,
different racial types were a particular focus of attention. While
derived from Greek models, this vase was produced in Italy by an
Etruscan craftsman.
The pottery of this mug is decorated with added white for
details such as the ears, eyes and mouth, as well as the wreath
with which the boy is crowned. The wreath may show that he was a
server at a symposion or drinking party - an appropriate
choice of subject for a drinking vessel. At such parties all the
participants and even the vessels were wreathed.
L. Bonfante (ed.), Etruscan life and afterlife: a (Michigan, Wayne State University Press, 1986)
E. Macnamara, The Etruscans-1 (London, The British Museum Press, 1990)