Etruscan Bucchero Mourner
ca. 650-630 BC; height cm 7,6; When in 1836 near Cerveteri the Regolini-Galassi tomb was discovered, thirty-three statuettes in bucchero clay were found inside, all of which are without feet so they could be inserted into the ground and arranged along the three sides of the bronze bed in the antechamber; some would perhaps have been arranged in the cell at the right hand side in two rows at the sides of the urn. They represent female figures in various poses, almost as if to suggest a sequence of movements in the ritual gestures of mourning that would have taken place during the display of the body (prothesis) prior to being transported to the tomb (ekphora). In the first group, both of the hands are held below the chin; in the second group the left hand is held under the chin and the other on the abdomen; in the third group the position is inverted; and in the fourth group, a hand rests on the right cheek, while the other lies towards the lower part of the abdomen. The figures all wear a long tunic decorated with geometric motifs, held with a belt. The long hair is curled on the head and worn in braids which lie along the back down to the level of the legs. Reference: similar specimens in Firenze, also in Vatican from Cerveteri, Regolini-Galassi Tomb (cat. 20374-20375, 20381-20382, 20402-20404). Provenance: Property of a gentleman; acquired on the European art market between 1960s and 1980s.