Lot 24
A VERY LARGE ETRUSCAN URN LID
NORTHERN ITALY, C. LATE 3RD - 2ND CENTURY B.C.
Auction: 26 November 2026 from 14:00 GMT
Description
painted terracotta, depicting a reclining male figure leaning on a cushion and holding a libation bowl, with hair and chiton painted white and a red band running across the width of the centre and the width of the cushion; the figure is clean shaven with short hair, looking upwards with wide eyes and parted lips and a neutral expression
Dimensions
45cm long
Provenance
Private collection USA, acquired 1890-1900 and thence by descent;
Thomaston Place Auction Galleries, Fine Art, Antiques & Jewelry, Day One, August 2011, Lot 210, sold for $35,000
Footnote
Etruscan sarcophagus lids are among the most distinctive expressions of funerary art in ancient Italy. The deceased is frequently depicted reclining upon a banqueting couch, evoking the imagery of the funerary feast and the belief in continued existence beyond death.
A comparable example, forming part of a complete funerary urn, was excavated at Chiusi in the early twentieth century and is now in the collection of the British Museum (accession no. 1926,0324.124).
Exhibited:
'La Grande Horizontale', TEFAF Maastricht, March 2017.
Literature:
Rupert Wace, Ancient Art, 2013, no. 37. La Grande Horizontale, exhibition catalogue, TEFAF Maastricht, March 2017.