Artwork Page for Vessel in the Shape of a Wild Boar

Details / Information for Vessel in the Shape of a Wild Boar

Vessel in the Shape of a Wild Boar

700–500 BCE or 1900s CE

Italy, Etruscan or modern forgery

Medium
terracotta
Measurements
Overall: 17.5 cm (6 7/8 in.)
Credit Line
Norman O. Stone and Ella A. Stone Memorial Fund 1977.42
Public Domain
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Location
001A ArtLens Exhibition
Print
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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.
Blotchy brown terracotta vessel shaped like a boar with a cylindrical spout sticking out from its back. Incised, cream-colored lines made from fine rows of hashes create geometric designs, one such running in diagonal lines across the spine, interrupted by the spout. Naturalistic, the bull has wide eyes and 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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