The Etruscans: From the Heart of Ancient Italy

exhibition catalogue for the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Renée Dreyfus, Louise Chu, and Richard Daniel De Puma with Lisa C. Pieraccini

contributors: Jeremy Armstrong, Sinclair W. Bell, Vincenzo Bellelli, Alexandra A. Carpino, Nancy T. de Grummond, Ingrid Edlund-Berry, Margarita Gleba, Daniele F. Maras, Valentino Nizzo, Massimo Osanna, Charlotte R. Potts, Bridget Sandhoff, Maurizio Sannibale, Stephan Steingräber, Jean MacIntosh Turfa, Rex Wallace, and P. Gregory Warden

maps: Adrian Kitzinger

From Renée Dreyfus's foreword:
The exhibition and its catalogue fulfill my long-held wish to introduce the complex and fascinating Etruscan culture, which significantly shaped the ancient Mediterranean world in the first millennium BC.
The exhibition restores the Etruscans to their deserved place in pre-Roman history, presenting an array of objects stunning for their beauty, exquisite craftsmanship, and advanced technology. These works, ranging from remarkable bronze and terracotta vessels and sculptures to sumptuous grave goods and opulent gold jewelry, reveal a material legacy that continues to impress today.
From the ninth to the second centuries BC, Etruscan culture flourished between the Arno and Tiber Rivers in present-day Tuscany and, through time, expanded into Umbria, Lazio, and other regions. The Etruscans were a sophisticated and affluent people who left behind a rich history with traditions vividly represented through the exquisite objects deposited in their tombs, temples, and sanctuaries. Renowned in their time for their wealth, religious observances, and the elevated status of women, they were major contributors to Western achievements in architecture, engineering, technology, and the arts.

384 pages
9.5 x 11.15 inches