Artwork Page for Vessel in the Shape of a Wild Boar

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Vessel in the Shape of a Wild Boar

700–500 BCE or 1900s CE
Measurements
Overall: 17.5 cm (6 7/8 in.)
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

This boar enjoyed brief internet fame, with a series of online memes peaking in 2018.

Description

Wild boars were a favorite motif in classical antiquity, but this vessel has long puzzled scholars. Its brown, burnished surface, with incised geometric decoration, recalls Etruscan impasto pottery from as early as the seventh century BC. The naturalistic shape of the boar, however, resembles terracotta vessels made in the fifth century BC or later. Recent scientific analysis suggests that this vessel may have been made in the 20th century, and our curators and conservators are continuing their research.
A blotchy brown terracotta vessel shaped like a boar features a cylindrical spout sticking up from its back. Incised rows of cream-colored hash marks create geometric designs on the body. Diagonal lines of hash marks extend across the boar's fin-like spine, interrupted by the spout. Naturalistic, the boar has wide eyes and short tusks, pushing the skin around them up into folds.

Vessel in the Shape of a Wild Boar

700–500 BCE or 1900s CE

Italy, Etruscan or modern forgery

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