Way Cool Winged Centaur at Sotheby’s

So it’s recess and I decide to page through the ecatalog of Sotheby’s upcoming antiquities auction … the first thing I come across of interest is described as an Etruscan black figure amphora, attributed to the Micali painter (6th/5th century B.C.) … Here’s a detail:

Check out the official photo … not only is this centaur interesting for having wings, but for having the proper ‘male anatomy’ on its forequarters. I once did a paper on centaurs in ancient art and as far as I was aware, this ‘proper forequarters’ thing came to an end in Mycenean times (maybe Dark Ages). This is an incredible piece and, alas, seems destined for a private collection, so make your screengrabs while you can.

One thought on “Way Cool Winged Centaur at Sotheby’s

  1. Did you notice how the centaur on the right is a similarly “accurately endowed” shape while on the left, as the amphora curves, is a “modern” centaur with the equine forelegs, etc.

    I know infinitely little about Etruscan religious imagery. Is this a common piece of iconography for them?

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