Varga Edith szerk.: A Szépművészeti Múzeum közleményei 79. (Budapest, 1993)
NIELSEN, MARJATTA: An Etruscan country woman from Terriccio
The cinerary urn in Budapest, though in no way conclusive, adds a little more substance to the Etruscan past of Terriccio. It may very well have been the same Giunti who combined his patriotic zeal for the past with commercial interests in finding a foreign buyer for the Etruscan urn, but we do not know who found it, nor when. The traces of cement behind the urn and lid point to the fact that they did not come directly from the earth, but might have been set in a wall, probably before the sculpture reached Hungary, i.e. in Terriccio —and perhaps already in Stanislaw Poniatowski's time. After this lengthy introduction, let us turn to the urn itself : The Budapest Museum of Fine Arts, inv. nr. 50.1324.1-2 (formerly National Museum, inv. 1879/145) (Figs. 4-7). Material: whitish Volterran alabaster with grey veins and no visible crystals. Dimensions of the urn : length above 61,5 cm, below 63 cm ; width above 25 cm, below 30,8 cm ; height 35 cm ; height of the legs ca. 4 cm, depth of the cavity 24 cm. Dimensions of the lid : length 69 ; width 24 ; height 36 cm. State of preservation : Traces of cement at the back of the lid and the urn show that it has been set in a wall in modern times. Urn : The irregularity of the legs is probably owing to the rounded shape of the original block. The surface preserves almost horizontal traces of a chisel with slightly curving edge from the original surface treatment, while the vertical pickaxe marks are modern. In addition incrustations and minor corrosions. Lid : Head broken off at the neck, with parts of the shoulder and left wrist, together with the left arm, but the pieces reassembled correctly ; only a small piece of the right shoulder missing. Two minor damages on the forehead. The righthand fingers with a possible attribute missing. Minor chips along the edges of the lid, but the rough surfaces at the corners originate from the block. Corrosions at the foot. The anomalous polished parts of the surface are probably due to modern efforts to render the sculpture more acceptable. Description : The slightly trapezoid urn has four low legs, but is void of ornamentation. The cavity inside the urn has vertical sides towards front and back, but curved bottom and lateral sides. On the lid a female figure reclines in the familiar banquet posture. She supports her left elbow on two cushions, and her cheek on her left hand. Her right arm rests slightly bent on her right knee. Her legs are bent and the left knee is seen as a ball-shaped protuberance under the right leg. Both feet are placed at the left edge. Her hair is parted in the middle, indicated by straight furrows, and is gathered in a knot at the neck. Her clothes are summarily indicated. A slightly protruding border above the two flat breasts must represent the border of a tunic that vanishes under the arm-pit. Another line over the stomach indicates the border of the cloak, the folds of which are cursorily modelled on the cushions, and the front edge ; a third fold forms an angle over the lower torso. At the back there are only some horizontal folds of the cloak, and the right arm and the main forms are roughly modelled. The underside of the lid is plain. In spite of the unanatomical and rough modelling, the lid sculpture succeeds in depicting a strong woman, not without charm. To the modern taste, familiar with for example the work of Henry Moore, the solid form has great appeal. As in so many other sculptures, the rendering of the face by the fewest of means gives a vivid and friendly impression. The low, slightly diagonal posture, with or without bent
