Evaluation and comparison methods

Bronze Sculpture Art of the Etruscans

During early Roman times, the Etruscans were the well-known masters of the art of bronze sculpture, and were praised for this art by writers Greek and Roman alike. One does not see much of the bronze work of the Etruscans today, since much of it was melted into coins. More of their terracotta statues remain.

Etruscan Civilization was developed in the now recognized Tuscany region of Italy. The Etruscans created artistic objects primarily for religious purposes. A significant aspect of their art is connected with funerary traditions. Most of these were entirely impersonal, and did not resemble the deceased individuals. Even the portraits are quite crude. Due to sizeable amounts of ore deposits, the Etruscans established the art of bronze and raised it to a very high level of artistry. Their work in some fashion is very extravagant in material and design. However, it is also a very close copy to the art created by the Greeks, with whom they had close contact. It did not have the strong structural compositions of the Greek bodies.

It is accepted by many art historians that the Roman bronze artwork, especially in the early years including the Augustan period, was closely linked with both the Etruscan and Greek traditions. It is even argued by some scholars that the Roman bronze sculptors were descended from the Etruscan artists. Others even question whether or not there was indeed a Roman style, because of the imitation of the Roman for other works of art. This is one of the reasons why it is difficult to differentiate when the actual Roman work first emerged that stood on its own apart from the Etruscan works. It is also true that the time periods overlapped, and something is only known as Roman because it is consists of specific Roman items such togas.

Both the Etruscan and the Roman bronzes had very fine detail in the folds of the clothes, the curves of the muscles and the body, the lines in the face and the turns in the beard. One can definitely see the impact of the Greek artisan on both these cultures.