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Image

Front-view of a terracotta sculpted hand, cropped at the wrist, holding a dove. The cross-section face where the hand has been cropped is connected to a transparent tube.
Side-view of a terracotta sculpted hand, cropped at the wrist, holding a dove. The cross-section face where the hand has been cropped is connected to a transparent tube.
Side-view of a terracotta sculpted hand, cropped at the wrist, holding a dove. The cross-section face where the hand has been cropped is connected to a transparent tube.
Monochromatic image of a sculpted hand, cropped at the wrist, holding a dove. The cross-section face where the hand has been cropped is connected to a transparent tube.
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  • Front-view of a terracotta sculpted hand, cropped at the wrist, holding a dove. The cross-section face where the hand has been cropped is connected to a transparent tube.
  • Side-view of a terracotta sculpted hand, cropped at the wrist, holding a dove. The cross-section face where the hand has been cropped is connected to a transparent tube.
  • Side-view of a terracotta sculpted hand, cropped at the wrist, holding a dove. The cross-section face where the hand has been cropped is connected to a transparent tube.
  • Monochromatic image of a sculpted hand, cropped at the wrist, holding a dove. The cross-section face where the hand has been cropped is connected to a transparent tube.

Unknown Maker, Etruscan

Hand Holding a Dove
Now On View

Description

Maker

Unknown Maker, Etruscan

Culture

Etruscan

Title

Hand Holding a Dove

Period

Hellenistic

Year

360-320 BCE

Medium

  • terracotta

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

  • terracotta

Materials

terracotta

Dimensions

6.4 x 8.9 x 6.4 cm (2 1/2 x 3 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Dr. Armand Versaci

Object Number

1986.165

Type

  • Sculpture

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Weiss Ancient Art Gallery
Sep 22, 2010
Ancient Greek and Roman Galleries
Sep 22, 2010

Label copy

Many ancient societies, including the Etruscans, attempted to divine the future from earthly omens. Etruscan religion was based on three books of prescribed religious practices, each concerning predictions. It is believed that these books inspired the famous Roman Sibylline Books. Etruscan diviners came in two kinds: augurs, who interpreted the movements of birds, and haruspices, who interpreted the entrails of sacrificed animals. This object relates to the practice of augury, evoking the hand of an augur holding a dove at the moment before its release into the sky. The temporal nature of this piece is twofold. It concerns divination, a system of ascertaining what will occur in the future, and it represents a pivotal moment in the process itself, the instant right before the answers will become known.

Use & Feedback

Image 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 and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Unknown Maker, Etruscan
Hand Holding a Dove, 360-320 BCE
Terracotta
6.4 x 8.9 x 6.4 cm (2 1/2 x 3 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches)
Gift of Dr. Armand Versaci 1986.165

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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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