Fig. 2.16 Rome, Villa Giulia Museum. Apollo of Veii, terracotta. (MPI)
Fig. 2.17 Rome, Villa Giulia Museum. Terracotta antefix of satyr and nymph, from Satricum. (MPI)
A third Etruscan masterpiece in terracotta, of later date, but still showing the same striking vitality as the two pieces just described, is the pair of winged horses in high relief ([Fig. 2.18]), first published in 1948, which come probably from the pediment of the temple called the Ara della Regina, on the site of the Etruscan city (as opposed to the necropolis) of Tarquinia, and now in the Tarquinia museum. The proud arching of the horses’ necks, their slim legs, their rippling muscles are rendered to make them the quintessence of the thoroughbred, so that we forget that the delicate wings would scarcely lift their sturdy bodies off the ground. In these three masterpieces art is none the less vibrant for being put at the service of religion. Here is created a new Italic expressionistic style, so admirable that many would hold that Italian art did not reach this level again until the Renaissance.
* * * * *
Fig. 2.18 Tarquinia, Museum. Winged horses, terracotta relief, from Ara della Regina. (MPI)
Fig. 2.19 Cerveteri: Tomb of the Reliefs, interior. (MPI)