Painted Etruscan Antefixes - part II
An antefix (from Latin antefigere, to fasten before) is a vertical block which terminates and conceals the covering tiles of a tiled roof. It also serves to protect the join from the elements.
During the Archaic period, antefixes were produced in great numbers throughout Etruria, especially in Caere, southern Etruria (modern-day Cerveteri). Accordingly, many examples have survived. These painted terracotta objects were commonly used on the eaves of a roof, in order to protect the end tiles from the elements. They also formed part of the architectural decoration of buildings and were believed to banish bad luck.
Antefix with the head of Maenad / Belvedere temple, Orvieto, Italy / 5th century BCE
Antefix with a head of a Satyr / Cerveteri, Italy / 4th century BCE
Antefix with the head of Juno-Sospita / Cerveteri, Italy / 500-480 BCE
The protective deity Juno Sospita, in terracotta painted red and black, was revered throughout central Italy in the Etruscan country as the guardian of the cities. The deity wears a colorful helmet, with a checkered crest, goat’s ears and horns, and the stylized palm branch. The Romans appropriated this foreign deity when they conquered Etruria.
Antefix with the head of Maenad / Belvedere temple, Orvieto, Italy / 4th century BCE
The maenad wears an elaborate diadem and very large grape-cluster earrings, a type of jewelry especially popular in the fifth and fourth centuries BCE.
Antefix of a female head with a Phrygian cap / Belvedere temple, Orvieto, Italy / 5th-6th century BCE
stormborns
ellievsbear
origamiaround
yousharknotpass
turnnoffyourmind
kianamaiart
blakekathryn
