GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Only a limited number of Etruscan wreaths have survived, although, as in Greece, they played an important role in everyday life. Wreaths were worn on festive occasions and in religious processions; they were awarded as prizes to the victors of games, dedicated in sanctuaries, and buried with the dead. The most characteristic form of Etruscan wreath, the corona sutilis, as it was called by Roman writers, resembles more a diadem than a wreath, as seen here.
This diadem is composed of an oblong section of thin sheet gold with rounded ends. Each end is stamped with the figure of a peacock with tail outspread, iconography perhaps borrowed from Greek mythology. The rest of the surface is covered with layers of veined leaves arranged in rows and pointing toward the center, where a separately made rosette is attached.
Adapted from
Barbara Deppert-Lippitz, Ancient Gold Jewelry at the Dallas Museum of Art (Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art in association with the University of Washington Press, 1996), 38-39; 131.
NOTES
READ
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
Until 1991: probably Collection of Dr. Athos Moretti, Switzerland (presented by Robert Haber, New York) [1]
From 1991: Dallas Museum of Art, The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc.
[1] based on existing provenance entry in TMS
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
- Jewelry was far more than merely ornament to the Etruscans; it was often close to being a magic charm or amulet and implied the protection of the gods.
- Because this diadem is so thin and fragile, it was likely made for a burial rather than daily wear.
TEACHING IDEAS
RULES
Apply to objects where number equals 1991.75.37
Category
rules_operator
AND
General Description
Only a limited number of Etruscan wreaths have survived, although, as in Greece, they played an important role in everyday life. Wreaths were worn on festive occasions and in religious processions; they were awarded as prizes to the victors of games, dedicated in sanctuaries, and buried with the dead. The most characteristic form of Etruscan wreath, the corona sutilis, as it was called by Roman writers, resembles more a diadem than a wreath, as seen here.
This diadem is composed of an oblong section of thin sheet gold with rounded ends. Each end is stamped with the figure of a peacock with tail outspread, iconography perhaps borrowed from Greek mythology. The rest of the surface is covered with layers of veined leaves arranged in rows and pointing toward the center, where a separately made rosette is attached.
Adapted from
Barbara Deppert-Lippitz, Ancient Gold Jewelry at the Dallas Museum of Art (Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art in association with the University of Washington Press, 1996), 38-39; 131.
Fun Facts
- Jewelry was far more than merely ornament to the Etruscans; it was often close to being a magic charm or amulet and implied the protection of the gods.
- Because this diadem is so thin and fragile, it was likely made for a burial rather than daily wear.
Archival Resources
Web Resources
Notes
READ
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
Until 1991: probably Collection of Dr. Athos Moretti, Switzerland (presented by Robert Haber, New York) [1]
From 1991: Dallas Museum of Art, The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc.
[1] based on existing provenance entry in TMS
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
rules
Apply To
Objects
number
Equals
1991.75.37
source file
object_notes_2_b-0093.xml.nores