Fragment of an Etruscan Stair Slab Relief

Culture: Etruscan

Period: Early 6th century B.C.

Material: Nenfro

Dimensions: 74.3 cm high

Price: 12 000 Euro

Ref: 4202

Provenance: From an old Swiss collection. Thence Belgian private collection, acquired 1988 in the gallery Elsa Bloch-Diener in Bern, Switzerland. Last in the French art market. With a copy of the invoice.

Condition: Unrestored

Description: Large relief of volcanic Nenfro tuff which belonged to a stair slab relief (“Lastrone a Scala”). This earliest evidence of Etruscan sculptures and relief art from Tarquinia possibly served as door clasps of chamber tombs. The image areas lying one above the other show two griffins sitting upright to the left. They probably serve as grave guards and have their wings erect and their raised tail turned outwards. The griffins are separated by a braided band. Right and left fluted strips, which intend to imitate twisted ribbons. At the break on the left side were the sculptural stairs, which owe the stair slab relief its name. See for reference the stair slab relief in the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg with the inventory number 1999.280, as well as the relief in the Museo archeologico nazionale in Tarquinia. On an old metal base.