AN ETRUSCAN URN PUTS A FACE TO THE DECEASED

The cinerary urn was provided with a lid in the shape of a human head.

This slightly bizarre type of urn emerged in the 7th century BC and the Etruscan Collection includes several male and female examples. The heads are finely modelled and both hair and facial features are sometimes rendered by fine incised lines. Symbolic representation of the dead was important for the Etruscans, who cultivated the memory of their ancestors.