Dallas Museum of Fine Arts Bulletin, Spring 1983 Page: 3
[32] p. ill. ; 26 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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The exact provenience of the Dallas antefix is not known;
however, there is evidence to support the belief that it
probably was made in Caere. Etruscan Cisra (modern
Cerveteri) just west of Veii and a short distance northwest of
Rome. Although a number of Etruscan towns manufactured
terra cotta sculpture, Caere was renowned for its abundant
and aesthetically pleasing architectural terra cottas. A rapid
building program in southern Etruria during the latter half of
the sixth century B.C. was met by an outpouring of
Caeretan architectural terra cotta sculptures. Terra cotta
sculptural decoration included several forms for Etruscan
buildings, among which were acroteria, antefixes, gable
decoration, and continuous figured friezes. Neighboring
Veii is reputed to be the home of the one known Ertruscan
artist, Vulca, who was commissioned to create the terra
cotta cult image for the temple of Jupiter in Rome during
the late Archaic period. A number of terra cotta antefixes of
this era have been associated with Caere, including the two
examples in London and Copenhagen mentioned above.
The invention of the antefix head, however, is generally
believed to have occurred in Corinth. Greeks from Corinth
are known to have settled in Tarquinia, north of Caere, in
the seventh century B.C. and Corinthian trade dominated
the Etruscan market during this time. The primary port city
of Caere, Pyrgi, has a Greek name and was perhaps
founded by Greeks who called it Agylla. This Etruscan town
was wealthy enough to establish a treasury at Delphi while
Caere enjoyed the prosperity gained by exploiting the metal
deposits in the nearby Tolfa region. This affluence is
substantiated by the opulent tumulus burials outside the
city. The abundant wealth of Caere supported an active
terra cotta industry which was highly receptive to Greek
artistic influence. Of the Greek colonies in southern
Italy, Caere had especially close ties with Sybaris, an lonian
colony, until its destruction by neighboring Croton about
510 B.C. It is through Sybaris that lonian influences made
their way into Caeretan terra cottas, which assists in
explaining the mellowing of the lonian style in the Dallas
maenad antefix ten years or so after Sybaris was no longer
a source of inspiration to the Etruscans. The Dallas antefix
is a product of Etruscan artistic endeavor during the zenith
of its culture, and provides a brilliant addition to the
Museum collection of Etruscan artifacts and ancient art in
general.
Karl Kilinski II
Associate Professor and Chairman
Department of Art History
Southern Methodist University
Trained by the Museum's Education Department, DMFA
docents provided guided tours for thousands of visitors during
the El Greco exhibition.Economic Impact on Dallas
by El Greco Exhibit: $9.7 Million!
In order to determine the economic impact of El Greco of
Toledo on the City of Dallas, DMFA Assistant Director
Thomas A. Livesay commissioned a survey to be
conducted by professors Pat Plumlee and Kerry Vandell
of Southern Methodist University. Preliminary results of
the survey (as of 2/14/83) indicate that the international
exhibition boosted the City's economy by more than $9.7
million, a sum larger than the revenue that resulted from
the enormously successful Pompeii exhibition (1978-79;
$8 million) and a figure greater than the financial impact of
the largest single convention held in Dallas in the past
year, the 1982 National Association of Broadcasters.
With 880 reports completed and analyzed out of a total of
1,200, the Plumlee/Vandell El Greco Report is established
within a 5 percent accuracy factor. Total.attendance for
the exhibition (December 12, 1982 - February 6, 1983)
was 169,114. Of that figure 93,975 visitors live outside
Dallas County, and 72.5 percent of these guests visited
Dallas solely because of the El Greco of Toledo exhibition.
The report contains additional information that will be
available when it is released in March.
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Dallas Museum of Fine Arts. Dallas Museum of Fine Arts Bulletin, Spring 1983, periodical, Spring 1982; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth224890/m1/3/: accessed May 21, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Museum of Art.