Museo Etrusco Guarnacci

The Guarnacci Etruscan Museum in Volterra preserves objects from the ancient city of Velathri, including the bronze figure known as the Ombra della Sera, the terracotta Urna degli Sposi and a substantial collection of Etruscan cinerary urns.

Why it matters

The museum is among Europe's oldest public collections devoted to Etruscan antiquities. Its origins lie in the eighteenth century, when Volterra began assembling antiquities from its territory in a civic collection. The museum later took the name of Monsignor Mario Guarnacci, whose acquisitions formed a significant part of its historic holdings. The collection supports study of the people, beliefs and material culture of Velathri.

What to notice

The elongated bronze figure called the Ombra della Sera is generally dated to the third century BC. Its nickname is popularly associated with Gabriele d'Annunzio, though that attribution is uncertain. Anton Filippo Gori published an image of the figure in his 1737 Museum Etruscum and attributed it to Volterra. The terracotta Urna degli Sposi depicts a reclining couple at a banquet. Other notable works include the Montebradoni crater, the stele of Avile Tite bearing an inscription, and the Kourotrophos Maffei. Reliefs on the cinerary urns depict journeys to the underworld, banquets and mythological scenes, offering evidence of local aristocratic culture between the third and first centuries BC.

Context and history

Volterra, known as Velathri in Etruscan, was one of the principal city-states of ancient Etruria. Antiquities found in the surrounding countryside helped shape the civic collection begun in the eighteenth century. Guarnacci, an erudite collector in contact with Florentine antiquarians, substantially expanded its holdings; he acquired the Ombra della Sera after 1750. In 1877 the museum moved from Palazzo dei Priori to Palazzo Desideri-Tangassi, where its collection of urns and other Etruscan objects was arranged for public display.