This informative and engaging book on the Museum’s outstanding collection of Etruscan art also provides an introduction to the fascinating and diverse culture of ancient Etruria, which thrived in central Italy from about 900 to 100 B.C. Masterpieces of the collection include 7th century B.C. objects from the Monteleone di Spoleto tomb group (including the famous remarkably well-preserved bronze chariot), intricate gold jewelry, carved gems, and wonderful ambers. For the first time in more than 70 years, this incredible body of work is published in a comprehensive and beautifully designed book that draws upon decades of exhaustive research.
Etruscan Art opens with short histories of pre-Roman Italy, Etruscan Studies, and the Metropolitan’s collection, followed by chronological analyses of tomb groups, types of objects, and individual objects. The closing section features forgeries, pastiches, and objects of uncertain authenticity, all previously thought to be genuine. Richard Daniel De Puma, one of the foremost experts on Etruscan art, provides an invaluable new contribution to the study of ancient Italy.