Etruscan

Bucket-shaped vessels (situlae) of this type are typical of the northeastern region of Italy but are found as far east as Slovenia. The puffy figural style is characteristic of non-Italian Iron Age art, although the subject matter is Etruscan. The three bands around the vessel depict processions of gazelle-like animals on the bottom level, armed warriors in the middle, and vignettes of funerary games complete with boxers, musicians, and banqueters on the third. Processions were commonly depicted in Etruscan funerary contexts — on tomb walls, on coffins, and as here, on grave goods. This situla was not meant for everyday use; rather, it was probably made as a grave gift for the person in whose tomb it was found.