931 - Double vessel made of impasto with handles shaped like centaurs, Etruscan, 7th century B.C.

Double vessel made of impasto with handles shaped like centaurs, Etruscan, 7th century B.C. Siena-brown impasto pottery. Two conical cups with small bases and slightly curved sides. The rim is flat at the top; only one cup has a slightly flared rim. Both vessels, formed on the wheel while the clay was leather-hard, are joined by a U-shaped clay disc; above this is a column stylized to represent the hind legs of two centaurs positioned back-to-back. The centaurs have an oval cross-section and a horizontally extending abdomen that merges at the front into two V-shaped, forked legs. The legs stand on two wide struts, each of which has an outward-facing knob where it joins the vessel rims. The chests and necks of the centaurs are rendered as vertical plates—resembling tin figurines—above the front legs. Above these are the centaurs’ heads, featuring a nose, beard, eyes, and ears. The nose, ears, and beard are sculpted in relief. The eyes are incised. Between the centaurs’ torsos are two upward-curving arches that end at the outside of the centaurs’ necks and converge in the center into a column emerging from the hindquarters, which stand back-to-back. These may be interpreted as the centaurs’ tails, especially in light of the horses’ tails raised high on the cups. The surface of the cups and the centaurs are decorated with incised patterns. On the outside of the cups is a pictorial field bordered at the top and on the sides at the back by double lines with a wavy line in between. This border continues on the inside along the lower edge. Within this outwardly framed panel are two stylized horses with zebra-like striped bodies. The horses’ legs cross in the center of the image and also cross the frame at the edge of the scene. Above the horses is a band of interlaced but unconnected horizontal S-shaped ornaments that resemble a running dog but are not connected to form wave-like volutes. The front legs and chest area of the centaurs are striped, like the horses on the cups. Extending from the mouth is a band curving backward with semicircular arches along the lower edge; furthermore, incised lines run from the back of the head to the mouth, giving the impression that they are meant to represent a bridle. The depiction gives the impression that the centaurs are harnessed and bridled. The entire vessel is covered with inlays. The ears, which were once attached while the clay was still leather-hard, are chipped off on one centaur but present on the other, though one is chipped. Otherwise in excellent condition with no breaks. Height of the cups: 10.8 cm and 11.2 cm; diameter of each: 15.2 cm. Total height: 22 cm. CULTURAL HERITAGE! Provenance: Private collection in Upper Austria (estate), acquired by the father in the 1980s on the Austrian and South German art market. Condition: I–II