Statuette of a Bearded Man, Probably Tinia

This bearded man wears a tebenna, a semi-circular garment that was a precursor of the Roman toga. He once held an object in his pierced left fist. In the absence of an attribute, his identity is open to question. He is usually identified as Tinia, the Etruscan equivalent of Zeus, the king of the gods; if so, he would have held a scepter or a thunderbolt. Small figures like this were often left in sanctuaries as an offering to the gods.

Although his facial features and musculature are naturalistic, the bearded man is posed rigidly and his garment is arranged in an artificial manner. Such combinations of opposing stylistic traits are not unusual in Etruscan art. The fine modelling of the statuette reflects a northern Etruscan style. As an area rich in metal sources, Etruria produced large quantities of votive bronze statuettes.