Reclining Youth
Cinerary Urn
Early 4th century BC
Bronze; l of stand 69 cm, h of figure 42 cm
This item was found in Perugia in 1842. Inside, the hollow sculpture contained ashes and some small gold ornaments. This is a rare bronze example of an Etrurian cinerary urn in the form of a reclining youth. The stand is decorated with stylized waves, a symbol of the sea separating the world of the live from that of the dead. Assembled from six cast parts, the back and front of the vessel are both equally carefully finished. Generalized austere forms are combined with realistic details. The author of the statue seems to have been influenced by Greek art.
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