This paper compares two works of ancient sculpture: the Etruscan Warrior Supporting a Wounded Comrade (early fifth century BCE) and the Roman statue Augustus in Armor (c. 20 BCE). Through close visual analysis, the paper examines how each work reflects the values, political circumstances, and artistic sensibilities of its originating civilization. The Etruscan piece is interpreted as an expression of communal relationship, prosperity, and a stable society, while the Roman statue is read as a deliberate assertion of political authority and civic order. The paper draws on historical sources to contextualize both works within their respective eras and traces meaningful artistic and cultural continuities between Etruscan and Roman civilization.
It would be a mistake to think of the Etruscans as a monolithic group. In fact, they occupied a wide geographic area and built a civilization that spans many centuries, from a millennium BCE to their dissolution a few decades BCE (Time International, 2001). The sculpture Etruscan Warrior Supporting a Wounded Comrade, from the early fifth century BCE, was created in about the middle of the Etruscan era.
At the time this sculpture was created, the Etruscans had begun exploring the coast of what is now known as the Italian peninsula. The Etruscans enjoyed dominion on the seas at the time, giving them "tremendous potential for trade as well as piracy" (Time International, 2001). It is evident from the embellishment on the clothing of the two warriors that the Etruscans enjoyed their sea-based wealth. It is also easy to believe, as Time (2001) contends, that the Etruscans were a more jovial people than the Romans who eventually supplanted them.
Despite the obviously unpleasant fact of one warrior being wounded, neither face in the sculpture is particularly anguished; indeed, the wound is probably not all that grave. This is, really, a statuette — and possibly one of the many funerary objects the Etruscans were fond of creating (Time International, 2001). Its details, its expression, and its refinement all seem the hallmarks of a stable and prosperous civilization.
Indeed, this piece seems to deny that the Etruscan world would ever come to an end. The elegant little statuette projects the quiet confidence of a people who, at that moment, had little apparent reason to fear the future. The work is very much about relationship — that of one warrior to his wounded comrade — and, as a result, it is also very much about the society that would make art from that intimate human bond rather than from the heroics of the battlefield.
About the time of this statuette, the Romans were getting out from under the Etruscan thumb. "Romans hated the third Etruscan king, tyrannic Tarquin the Proud. Abruptly in 510 B.C., as if at their wits' end, they declared Rome a republic. Its brand-new senate deposed Tarquin the Proud and banished him north of the Tiber" (Dillard, 2004). None of this upheaval is apparent from the elegant little statuette, which carries no visible sign of a civilization under pressure.
The second work, Augustus in Armor, bears certain similarities to the Etruscan piece. As both Time and Dillard note, the Roman rulers by the time of this statue — dated to 20 BCE — had more than a little Etruscan blood in their veins. Both statues are of warriors, although the Etruscan statuette is a tableau of life, whereas the Roman work is a paean to a great leader.
Another key difference is that the Etruscans were, in all likelihood, continuously at war when their statuette was cast. The Augustus in Armor statue was created at the beginning of a period of relative peace, following a recent era of great upheaval. Julius Caesar was killed on March 15, 44 BCE, and Mark Antony did not survive the subsequent struggle for power (vroma Web site). When Augustus in Armor was created, the Roman world had just emerged from conflict; the final defeat of Antony and Cleopatra in 30 BCE and their deaths marked the turning point. At that time, "Octavian gained control of the Roman world and closed the doors of Janus as a sign that peace had been restored."
This sense of restored order is evident in the statue's detailed embellishment. The tunic depicts historical events in an almost angelic manner, serving the purpose of elevating Augustus just slightly above other humans. He gazes forward with a neutral expression — no anger, no anguish, but no haughtiness either. As an expression of a society in command of itself, this statue stands tall. In fact, it stood just slightly taller than Augustus himself probably was; the statue is six feet in height, which would have been a remarkable stature for a man of the time. Still, the statue is not monumental. While it lacks the intimacy of the little Etruscan statuette, it is not imposing or threatening either.
"Contrasting artistic techniques and realism in both works"
"Relationship versus authority as cultural expressions in art"
Always verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.