Statuette of an Archer

Wearing a distinctive costume, this Etruscan statuette depicts an archer holding a now-missing bow in his raised right hand. The tight-fitting shirt with a zigzag pattern, the leggings with a diamond pattern, the pointed Phrygian cap, and the pointy-toed boots, as well as the large bow-case held under the left arm, all correspond to the standard depiction of Scythian archers. Associated with the hero Achilles, these warriors were common in Greek art of this period. The dappled deerskin draped over his shoulders implies another interpretation, however. The figure is actually meant to be a hunter or an Etruscan deity connected with hunting. The form of the statuette's base suggests that this figure once decorated the top of a candelabrum.