Italic Hut Urn in the Walters Art Museum, September 2009

Urn in the Shape of a Hut and a Door


Creator: Italic (Artist)


Period: 8th century BC (Villanovan)

Medium: terracotta (Ceramics)

Accession Number: 48.2312

Measurements: 8 11/16 x 9 1/16 x 11 in. (22 x 23 x 28 cm)

Geographies: Italy (Place of Origin)

Before the emergence of the Etruscan civilization, native cultures of Italy (called Italic) flourished. Among these groups were the Villanovans, who arose during the 9th and 8th centuries BC in central Italy. Villanovan artists developed a geometric style distinguished by angular shapes, which lived on in the art of the Etruscans. This urn was probably used as a container for the ashes from a cremation. Hut urns are especially significant artifacts because they depict Italic domestic architecture, otherwise lost to us. The steep angle and protruding decorative elements of the roof influenced later Etruscan and Roman architecture.

Text from: art.thewalters.org/detail/9465/urn-in-the-shape-of-a-hut-...