Classical World, Italy, Etruria, ca. 4th to 3rd century BCE. A gorgeous architectural antefix, made from a coarse, red terracotta, molded to form a stylized depiction of Tinia (Roman Jupiter / Greek Zeus, also Tin, Tinh, Tins, or Tina), the god of thunder and ruler of Mount Olympus. Zeus presents with a regal visage composed of bulging almond-shaped eyes with drilled pupils under heavy brows, a slender nose between well-defined cheeks, and full lips surrounded by a wavy mustache and a full beard. His head is capped with a curling coiffure beneath a prominent pair of spiraling ram horns. Grooved volutes project from the horns in a windswept manner which complements the deity's elegant illustration. The semicircular back portion has a recessed slot in the middle so it could be attached to the outer edges of roof tops. They were meant to be attractive ornaments as evidence by the thick traces of pink, white, red, and yellow pigment across the front side. Size: 8.25" W x 6.625" H (21 cm x 16.8 cm).

The ancient Etruscans used antefixes to protect and conceal the terracotta tiles along the eaves of a roof, as well as to serve an apotropaic function and ward off bad influences. Antefixes were mold-made and almost always in the form of a male or female head. Many of these were made in the workshops of Caere (Cerveteri) in southern Etruria.

Provenance: private Southern California, USA collection, acquired in the 1970s to mid-1980s

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#140820

Several areas of restoration including much of the face and nose, left horn, beard, base, and several sections on the volutes, with some resurfacing, retooling of finer details, and light overpainting. Losses to much of top, right side, and verso, with chips and nicks to peripheries, verso, and front, fading and chips to pigmentation, and light encrustations. Nice earthen deposits and traces of original pigmentation throughout.