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Etruscan

Acrobat (probably the handle of a cista lid), 300sBCE-200s BCE

Now On View

Description

Maker

  • Unknown

Culture

Etruscan

Title

Acrobat (probably the handle of a cista lid)

Year

300sBCE-200s BCE

Medium

Bronze

Materials/Techniques

Materials

  • bronze

Dimensions

8.3 x 3.5 cm (3 1/4 x 1 3/8 inches)

Type

  • Sculpture

Credit

Gift of Mrs. Celia Robinson Stillwell

Object Number

85.107.1

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

New Works from the Ancient World

May 23 - August 30, 1986

Ancient Greek and Roman Galleries

This male acrobat was likely the handle of a bronze cosmetic container (cista). These vessels, often found in the graves of wealthy women, were used to store their toiletries. Attached to the lids of cistae, such handles often took fanciful forms; pairs of mythological figures or wrestlers were common handle motifs. This acrobat was attached to the lid by his hands and feet. Acrobats were popular performers in ancient times. They are known from a description of a private party in Xenophon’s 5th- century BCE work Symposion, and are depicted on a wide range of utilitarian objects, from vases to spoons.

Weiss Ancient Art Gallery

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Acrobat (probably the handle of a cista lid) with the accession number of 85.107.1. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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