Etruscan Töpferware Amphore mit dem Bild eines geflügelten Psychopompus. Dem Maler von Micali zugeschrieben. Ca. 500 v.

Amphora with Image of a Winged Psychopompus.

- Attributed to the painter of Micali -

- Thermoluminescense Test -

Etruscan, ca. 500 BC.

Pottery.

37 cm height.

Condition: Recomposed from original fragments by covering up the joint lines.

Provenance: Private collection, UK, formerly in a private collection in the Bavarian region in the 1990s.

Documents: Provided of export license issued by the Ministry of Culture of Spain and Thermoluminiscence test.

Description:

Amphora-shaped vessel, made of ceramic using the black-figure technique, decorated by the Micali painter. With an inverted ovoid body, the vessel has a tall, straight, cylindrical neck, topped by a mouth open towards the outside, ending in a flat. Two vertical, ribbed-ribbon-shaped handles extend from the shoulders, curving just below the mouth to join the body on either side of the neck. Finally, the amphora stands on a low, circular foot with a slightly convex profile.

The surface is clearly compartmentalized, with a clear differentiation between the front and the back, and is also organized vertically, based on ornamental bands. The decoration features two with figurative scenes, one on each front, which occupy the upper two thirds of the vessel's belly. The exterior of the mouth, neck, handles and foot appear smooth, in the black of the varnish, without decorations, in contrast to the light tone of the clay. In the upper part of the body, at the base of the shoulders and framing the scenes in its upper part, there is an ornamental band with elongated flat motifs that evoke the grooves of a column, alternating red and black colors. Continuing with this idea of ​​the compartmentalization of space, in the lower third there are two differentiated friezes, delimited by fine smooth lines. The frontality with which the decoration of the amphora is conceived is also evident in the linear motifs that adorn the sides of the body, under the handles. These are fine vegetable stems that end in a wide open bell.

The scene on the front of the amphora is the same as on the back, with the only difference being the position of the figure's right arm; on the front it is folded up and on the opposite one down. In large size and occupying almost the entire space, the artist painted a mythological male figure in profile, with no clear identification, winged, with a ribbon holding his hair, knee-length clothing and winged sandals. In front and behind it there are two plant elements that rise from the ground opening up. At first glance, given the sandals, one might think of the Greek god Hermes, messenger of Olympus and guide to souls in the underworld. The Etruscans associated him with Don Turms, who also wears winged sandals. But since it is an Etruscan production, it is not a fully successful assimilation, especially because of the large wings on the back.

The Etruscans were a people of unknown origin, inhabitants of central Italy, who eventually joined the Roman Kingdom. Many of the deities were later part of Roman mythology. Very few Etruscan texts have survived, only two short and incomplete ones and a modest number of engraved inscriptions. The works of ancient Latin writers on Etruscan religion would have filled in the gaps, had any of them survived.

This amphora, in addition to its strictly utilitarian use, containing liquid, is made to be a funerary vessel as a votive offering and to complete the trousseau in a tomb. Ceramic vases painted by renowned workshops and even by masters were luxury objects, many of which, like Attic vases, were intended for trade above all with the Etruscan people. There are many vessels found in Etruscan tombs belonging to the best exponents of Greek art. Hence much of the influence on his iconography.

The ignorance of a large part of religion and mythology does not allow clarifying certain iconography unless there are much more clarified elements associated with Greek and Roman culture. In this glass, the image of the sandals associated with Hermes is an illuminating component that leads one to think of an association of the effigy with the underworld. The Etruscans had the underworld demon Vanth, winged with eyes, the omnipresent herald of death, he attended dying people on their deathbeds and inhaled the good demons (fig. 1). In general, it is associated with death and the journey of the deceased to the underworld, in the role of psychopomp.

The amphora scene does not present a clear identification with Vanth, partly due to the lack of some of his attributes, such as a torch, a key or a scroll. But its role as psychopomp is deduced, a liminal entity that guides the recently deceased towards the great unknown: the Other World.

Thus this winged figure with winged boots may be an association with the aspect of Hermes and Vath, of psychopomp, with the responsibility of escorting recently deceased souls into the underworld. And associated with this funerary aspect are several demons of the underworld in Etruscan artistic representations, which due to gaps in knowledge, cannot be clearly identified, it is possible that it is one of these images. The clearest fact is a marked Greek influence typical of this exchange of ceramic material and therefore of ideas between both cultures (fig. 2).

The amphora hand is attributed to the Micali Painter, the most prolific Etruscan black-figure painter, he worked at Vulci around 530-500 BC, where a high proportion of his works have also been found. He specialized in the representation of winged mythical creatures such as sirens, sphinxes, Pegasus or Hermes. His figures are considered expressive in his gestures. Early ornamental works by him are under the influence of Ionic vase painting, later the influence of Attic ceramics predominates. The painter is named after the Italian archaeologist Giuseppe Micali, who was the first to assemble some of the painter's vases.

The decorative technique of black figures was based on the use of a transparent varnish that, when baked in the oven, acquired an intense and brilliant black hue. The motifs were therefore invisible before firing: painters were forced to work entirely from memory, unable to see their work as they progressed. Once the piece was fired, the areas not covered by the varnish remained with the reddish tone of the clay, while the varnished ones, the "painted" ones, took on a deep black color, with a glossy finish. This technique of black figures was introduced in Corinth around the year 700 BC, being adopted shortly after by the Attic artists, in the orientalizing period (725 – 625 BC); the style had its main center in Athens, and lasted until the beginning of the 5th century BC, when it was gradually replaced by the new red-figure technique.

PARALLELS:

Fig. 1 Fresco of a tomb with the demon Vanth next to a man on the verge of death. c. 300 B.C. Italy.

Fig. 2 Etruscan amphora with black figures by the Painter of Micali. 520 - 510 B.C. From Vulci. With a combat scene between Yolao, Athena, Hercules, Cicno, Ares, Cicno's mother, Phobos and a winged demon. Musei Vaticani. Inv. 34604.






Notes:

- The piece includes authenticity certificate.
- The piece includes Spanish Export License (Passport for European Union) - If the piece is destined outside the European Union a substitution of the export permit should be requested, can take between 1-2 weeks maximum.
- The seller guarantees that he acquired this piece according to all national and international laws related to the ownership of cultural property. Provenance statement seen by Catawiki.

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