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Leopard
Italic, Etruscan
Archaic Period
about 560 B.C.
Medium/Technique
Nenfro
Dimensions
Height x depth: 62 x 84 cm (24 7/16 x 33 1/16 in.)
Credit Line
William Francis Warden Fund
Accession Number61.130
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAncient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsSculpture
Catalogue Raisonné
Sculpture in Stone (MFA), no. 387; Sculpture in Stone and Bronze (MFA), p. 116.
DescriptionThe leopard is reclining in a relaxed pose, with his head down to the left, on the left side of his chest. His forelegs are almost tucked under, and his hind legs are against his side. His tail is curled up over his powerful left haunch. He also possesses pointed ears amid the bow curve of hair on the forehead, large almond eyes surrounded by folds of skin, a powerful snout, and feline cheeks. The position of the eyes and the neck slanting inward at the left side to emphasize the head confirm that this leopard was meant to be seen from below, as part of the sculptural decoration on top of a lintel, most likely within a tomb. There was probably only one angle of view, from the full left side, like the figures in an Archaic temple pediment. Spots once covered the body, applied in paint over a thin layer of stucco, traces of which are visible on every surface.
The animal is complete, although his surfaces are incrusted somewhat, and there is some visible damage around the legs, tail, and edges of the plinth.
The animal is complete, although his surfaces are incrusted somewhat, and there is some visible damage around the legs, tail, and edges of the plinth.
ProvenanceBy 1960: with Hesperia Art, 2219 St. James Place, Philadelphia 3, Pa. (said to come from the necropolis at Vulci); February 8, 1961: purchased by MFA from Hesperia Art for $ 25,000.00 (this is the total price of 61.130 and 61.131)