Nenfro statue of a winged lion

Nenfro statue of a winged lion


Period: Archaic

Date: ca. 550 B.C.

Culture: Etruscan

Medium: Nenfro

Dimensions: H. 37 1/2 in. (95.3 cm); length 28 3/4 in. (73 cm); width at haunches 13 3/4 in. (35 cm)

Classification: Stone Sculpture

Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1960

Accession Number: 60.11.1
Several statues of this type, made from nenfro, a kind of volcanic stone used extensively at Vulci, depict winged lions and sphinxes. These were set up to protect the entrances to subterranean chamber tombs covered by a tumulus (earthen mound). They often appear in pairs and represent the Etruscan response to a long tradition of guardian figures stretching back to ancient Egypt and the Near East.

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