“Vanth and Child”: An Investigation of the Mislabeled Etruscan Urn Mother and Child

Authors

Cassandra Scheerer, Brigham Young University
Dr. Mark Johnson, Brigham Young University

Keywords

mislabeled, Vanth and child, Etruscan cinerary urn, goddess

College

Fine Arts and Communications

Department

Art

Abstract

Since its discovery in Chianciano, Etruria, the identification of the figures in the Etruscan cinerary urn Mother and Child (Fig.1) as a mourning mother holding her deceased child has gone uncontested. Reasons for this include the fact that the inscriptions do not identify the figures and the pose seems to logically fit that of a mourning mother with her dead child laid across her lap. The inconsistency of this “Mother” with other portrayals of Etruscan mothers and goddesses with children, led me to dispute the accuracy of the title of the work.

Recommended Citation

Scheerer, Cassandra and Johnson, Dr. Mark (2013) "“Vanth and Child”: An Investigation of the Mislabeled Etruscan Urn Mother and Child," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2013: Iss. 1, Article 2170.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2013/iss1/2170