Apollo of Veii

Name: Apollo of Veii

Date: 510-500 BC

Location: National Etruscan Museum, room 21

Approximate Dimensions: 5x5 feet

Sculptor: Vulca

Medium: Terracotta

Sources of info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_of_Veii, Roman Art

Picture drawn by Chris Carter

Significance of this work:

This sculpture of Apollo is very distinct from its Greco-Roman counterparts. The distinctive sculpture of the Apollo of Veii serves to show that Etruscan conceptions of him differed slightly from Greek and later Roman ideas about him. First, in many traditional iconic statues of Apollo he is naked. This is to show that he is the model of youthful beauty. His statues traditionally depict him as youthful, beardless, well muscled, and symmetrical. His Greek and Roman statues depict him as the kouroς, which means a beardless youth. The Veii statue, though, is fully clothed and unsymmetrical. The Etruscans were not trying to dash the idea that he is the model of youthful beauty, but in their culture they did not normally sculpt naked statues. Second, Apollo is usually sculpted with a bow in his hand. The Apollo of Veii seems to not be carrying anything. The final difference is that most Apollo statues either have him stationary or reclining on a tree. The Veii depiction, though, shows him in full stride.