Legion of Honor Exhibition

The Etruscans: From the Heart of Ancient Italy

Terracotta vase with a decorative Etruscan motif

Caeretan hydria (water jar), attributed to Eagle Painter (Greek, Caeretan, active 530‒500 BC), 520‒510 BC. Terracotta, height 17 1/2 in. (44.6 cm). Herakles and Iolaos attacking the hydra. Courtesy of the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, 83.AE.346
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Togas, temples, hydraulic engineering, winemaking, and even “Roman” numerals, all widely credited to the Romans, were actually Etruscan innovations. The Etruscans thrived in what is now Italy for almost a millennium, from around 900 to 100 BC, before the rise of the Roman Empire. They laid the foundation for present-day architecture, engineering, and artistic achievements. Yet their culture remains overshadowed by ancient Greece and Rome. Drawing on the latest archaeological discoveries and cutting-edge scholarship, this is the most comprehensive exhibition on Etruscan culture in the United States to date. Over 150 exquisitely crafted and well-preserved examples of bronze and terracotta sculpture, gold jewelry, ceramics, and architectural features, as well as the longest-surviving piece of Etruscan writing, reveal a legacy that continues to captivate today.

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Sponsors

This exhibition is organized by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco in association with the San Antonio Museum of Art.

Presenting Sponsor
John A. Gunn and Cynthia Fry Gunn

Lead Sponsor
Diane B. Wilsey

Major Support
Elizabeth and Bruce Dunlevie
Stanlee Gatti
Edina Jennison
The Bernard Osher Foundation
San Francisco Auxiliary of the Fine Arts Museums
Estate of Sheila Wishek for the Ancient Art Council
Barbara A. Wolfe
The National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom

Significant Support
Lorna Meyer Calas and Dennis Calas
Leon Levy Foundation

Generous Support
Matthew and Janice Barger
Sandra Bessières
Ronald M. Costell, M.D.
Karen Wilberding Diefenbach and John Diefenbach
The Glaser Family through the Ancient Art Council in memory of Roger Glaser, PhD
Parida Saennam and Austin Ligon
Seth L. Matarasso, M.D.
Laney and Pasha Thornton Foundation
Cathy and Howard Moreland
Anonymous, in memory of Michael C. Powanda
Margaret Naraghi Quattrin and Vic Quattrin
You Lan Tang through the Ancient Art Council in honor of Renée Dreyfus

Additional support is provided by Alexandria and Dwight Ashdown, Bernard and Jane von Bothmer, Leslee and Roger Budge, the Chang Mooi Family Foundation, Douglas Durkin, Drs. Jessica and Jeffrey Gaynor, Gruber Family Foundation, Anthony J. Hardy in memory of Susan Chen Hardy, the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, Fred Levin / The Shenson Foundation, Jan and Bob Newman, the Sack Family Fund, Teresa Keller Tilden and Douglas Tilden, and The Malcolm Hewitt Wiener Foundation.

Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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