At the MAF-Archaeological Museum in Florence, the exhibition “Visions of Etruscan Myths and Rites” is on view until April 7, 2025.
The exhibition allows visitors to admire a series of painted slabs on terracotta, dating back to the 6th century B.C., a sampling of Etruscan pictorial art sheding light on some aspects of this fascinating civilization, that came before the Romans.The subjects depicted are interesting and varied: from the actor as Oedipus to the Queen of the Amazons in the act of assaulting Achilles (by whom she will be killed shortly thereafter); from Atalanta, who challenges one of her rivals to a race, to Hermes, the messenger of the gods. Finally, a Haruspex in the act of interpreting the flight of birds: the typical divinatory art, a prerogative of Etruscan civilization.
The slabs from Cerveteri, which were recently stolen and restored, are on display at the MAF, one of Italy's most important archaeological museums, which boasts extraordinary collections of Egyptian, Greco-Roman and especially Etruscan art (great masterpieces of Etruscan bronze sculpture, starting with the celebrated Chimera, are found here). The museum overlooks one of the most beautiful squares in Florence: Piazza Santissima Annunziata.
