Heracles; Etruscan culture, 2nd century BC.

Heracles; Etruscan culture, 2nd century BC.
Bronze and terracotta base.
Provenance: Georges Savès collection.
Measurements: 8,5 cm (height); 10,5 cm (total height).

Bronze round sculpture representing Hercules. The figure appears standing, in position of action so that the movement is clearly appreciated in spite of the losses originated by the passage of time. Anatomically the work shows a great balance in the proportion.
It is an example of the sculptural art of the Etruscan culture, which already in antiquity was surrounded by an aura of mystery; even their Greek contemporaries were intrigued by the sudden emergence of this people as a maritime and commercial power, by this ancient people that, according to Dionysius of Halicarnassus, "resembles no other in its language and customs". Etruscan art received from its beginnings an important influence from Greek art, due to the cultural connection existing between the two peoples throughout the history of Etruscan culture. This influence was combined with that of Eastern origin and, from the first century B.C., with Roman influence. However, it will be the Asian and Greek tendencies that will determine the development of Etruscan art to the greatest extent. On this basis, an art of its own was shaped, marked by a taste for stylization and lively colors. One of its main sculptural manifestations will be the portrait, which will have mainly a funerary purpose, since in Etruscan culture funeral rites and iconography will play a key role. However, there are also some examples of commemorative portraiture, such as the bronze head of Lucius Junius Brutus (ca. 300 BC), the legendary first consul of the Roman Republic. The Etruscan portrait is not a simple copy of the Greek one, but an original creation combining serenity and passion, a direct ancestor of the Roman portrait.

This piece comes from the collection of Georges Savès (1908-1985), a French numismatist and collector with a deep vocation for archaeological study. Heir to a family tradition of collecting, he devoted himself fully to historical and numismatic research since the 1950s, especially on Toulouse and Gallic coins. Throughout his life, he assembled an eclectic collection of archaeological, ethnographic and artistic pieces, enriched in 1966 with the acquisition of part of the Roger Bédiat collection. Author of specialized studies, his legacy remains a reference in the academic and patrimonial fields.