Inscribed Statuette Base Dedicated by Laris Rathmsnas

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Inscribed Statuette Base Dedicated by Laris Rathmsnas

Place of OriginItaly, Etruria

DateLate 4th - early 3rd century BCE

DimensionsH: 5 29/32 in. (15 cm); Diam (top); 3 1/2 in. (9.5 cm); Diam (bottom): 4 5/8 in. (11.8 cm)

MediumLimestone

ClassificationSculpture

Credit LineGift of Christo Michailides

Object number

1983.46

Not on View

DescriptionA small, cylindrical stone pedestal designed to support a statuette. The object features profiled moldings at both the top and bottom edges. The shaft bears an inscription in the Etruscan language: “Laris Raθmsnas turce,” which translates to “Laris Rathmsnas dedicated [me].”The upper surface contains a central sunken area retaining a triangular metal tang secured with mortar, indicating the original attachment point for a now-missing bronze figure. The underside possesses a centering point, suggesting the piece was turned on a lathe. The surface shows signs of flaking.

Label TextThis small stone pedestal was created to support a bronze statuette, likely a votive offering to a god. It bears an inscription in the Etruscan language: “Laris Raθmsnas turce,” which translates to “Laris Rathmsnas dedicated [me].” The inscription identifies the donor but does not name the specific god to whom the statue was given. This base was a gift from the art dealership of Robin Symes, who claimed it belonged to the bronze statuette of Hercle also tt TMA (1978.22). However, because the bronze figure is missing its feet and the base’s inscription is generic, archaeologists cannot be certain if the two pieces are related in any way. The family name “Rathmsnas” suggests the donor lived in the Etruscan regions of Clusium (modern Chiusi) or Volsinii (modern Bolsena).Published ReferencesFabing, Suzannah, in The Gods Delight: The Human Figure in Classical Bronze, edited by Arielle P. Kozloff and David Gordon Mitten, Cleveland, Ohio, The Cleveland Museum of Art in cooperation with Indiana University Press, 1988, p. 254.

Wallace, Rex E., “Rivista di Epigrafia Etrusca,” Studi Etruschi, vol. 59, 1994, pp. 271-273, no. 27, pl. XLIX.

Bellelli, Vincenzo, “Un bronzetto etrusco, Cerveteri e le ‘Acque di Ercole,’” Mediterranea, vol. III, 2006 (published 2007), pp. 173-225, repr. pp. 174, 180, 181, 184, 196.