Archaeological Museum of Bologna

The two statues were found, along with another twelve, inside a votive well of an Etruscan outdoors sanctuary, located on the bolognese Apennine, between the Rhine and Setta valleys.

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The man wears a short cloak that wraps around his left arm and in his right hand he holds a patera, a shallow bowl without handles. He is shown in the typical libation pose of pouring wine, milk or other liquid onto an altar or floor in honour of the gods. The woman wears a close-fitting chiton, belted at the waist; in her right hand she holds an apple and in the left a flower, as symbols of offering. The size and refined workmanship of the statuettes indicate that they must have been valuable donations. There is a clear allusion to models of Greek statuary, with particular reference to depictions of kouroi and korai of Archaic times, although the overall figure construction shows that the statues are the work of an Etruscan artisan active in a northern Etrurian workshop.

Provenance: Grizzana (Bologna), votive pit of Monte Acuto Ragazza
Datation: c. 480 BC
Material: bronze
Dimensions: h cm 22,3; h cm 22,2
Inventory #: 27816