The following essay is from the 1996 publication Gods, Men, and Heroes: Ancient Art at the Dallas Museum of Art.

The following essay is from the 1996 publication Gods, Men, and Heroes: Ancient Art at the Dallas Museum of Art.

The following description of the godless Diana at her bath was written by the Roman poet Ovid (43 BCE- 18 CE) for Book III of his Metamorphoses (c. 2-8 CE).

The following essay is from the 1996 publication Gods, Men, and Heroes: Ancient Art at the Dallas Museum of Art.

The Villanovan culture of Italy represents the Early Iron Age of the Etruscans and received its name from the site of Villanova near Bologna, discovered in 1853.

Mirrors in antiquity were made of polished bronze. The scene engraved on the back shows a nude winged female figure standing by a plant and box and accompanied by a flute player.

Unlike the hard, intellectual clarity of form seen in Greek pottery, Etruscan ceramics have a soft and romantic quality.