Period: 700–500 BCE or 1900s AD Medium: Terracotta Measurements:Overall. 17.5 cm (6 7/8 in.)
Description: Wild boars were a favorite motif in classical antiquity, but this vessel has long puzzled scholars. Its brown, burnished surface, with incised geometric decoration, recalls Etruscan impasto pottery from as early as the seventh century BC. The naturalistic shape of the boar, however, resembles terracotta vessels made in the fifth century BC or later. Recent scientific analysis suggests that this vessel may have been made in the 20th century, and our curators and conservators are continuing their research.
Vessel in the Shape of a Wild Boar
Period: 700–500 BCE or 1900s AD
Medium: Terracotta
Measurements: Overall. 17.5 cm (6 7/8 in.)
Description:
Wild boars were a favorite motif in classical antiquity, but this vessel has long puzzled scholars. Its brown, burnished surface, with incised geometric decoration, recalls Etruscan impasto pottery from as early as the seventh century BC. The naturalistic shape of the boar, however, resembles terracotta vessels made in the fifth century BC or later. Recent scientific analysis suggests that this vessel may have been made in the 20th century, and our curators and conservators are continuing their research.
Credit: The Cleveland Museum of Art