The reconstructed 6th c. BCE Etruscan Monteleone chariot, on display at the Met Museum. Here we see the front bronze panel, one of three worked in repoussé to create low relief characters. It depicts the sea nymph Thetis giving a new helmet and shield to her son, Achilles. The oblong shield has a stunning Gorgon face at the top and a cat-like face at the bottom. Achilles looks quite Greek, with a pointed beard and long plaited hair. The repoussé panels may have been produced in one of the important metal-working centers such as Vulci by a local craftsman well familiar with Greek art or possibly by an immigrant bronze-worker. Met Museum, New York (03.23.1)
#ReliefWednesay: a shot of the front of the #Etruscan bronze Monteleone chariot. It depicts the nereid Thetis giving her son Achilles new armor, fashioned by Hephaestus. The shield - with its apotropaic head of Medusa and a feline face - is remarkable. The provenance is disputed. 🏺
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