Representations of birds in Etruscan art (6th - late 4th century BC)

Abstract

From at least the Iron Age up to the Hellenistic period, the Etruscan culture flourished in a large portion of the Italian peninsula, extending from the Po delta and the eastern Alps in the north to Campania in the south. It was characterised by a magnificent and original artistic production that took its inspiration from aspects of the natural environment inserted into mythological contexts of various origins. In Etruscan art, birds occupied a significant place, and were often represented in wall paintings and craft objects. Species still occurring on the Italian mainland, such as swans, ducks, grouse, and partridges, as well as possibly exotic taxa, domestic forms (chickens and pigeons) and other unidentifiable birds were the subject of artistic inspiration. They were depicted not only in purely cult contexts, but also in the backgrounds of naturalistic landscapes.