Statuette of a Youth Putting on His Cuirass

On this Etruscan bronze statuette, a young warrior puts on his armor. He grasps the shoulder flaps of his cuirass, pulling them forward in order to fasten them. The artist represented the cuirass in great detail, with rows of punched circles and semi-circles ornamenting its surface and a double row of pteryges or flaps along its lower edge. Peeking out from underneath the cuirass is the decorated hem of the youth's short tunic. The form of the statuette's base indicates that this youth once decorated the top of a candelabrum. The style of both the base and the youth's face suggest that the statuette was made in the city of Vulci.