Chimera of Arezzo | |
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Year | c. 400 BCE |
Type | Bronze |
Location | National Archaeological Museum, Florence |
The Chimera of Arezzo is regarded as the best example of ancient Etruscan art.[1] The British art historian David Ekserdjian described the sculpture as "one of the most arresting of all animal sculptures and the supreme masterpiece of Etruscan bronze-casting".[2] Made entirely of bronze and measuring 78.5 cm high with a length of 129 cm,[3] it was found alongside a small collection of other bronze statues in Arezzo, an ancient Etruscan and Roman city in Tuscany. The statue was originally part of a larger sculptural group representing a fight between a chimera and the Greek hero Bellerophon. This sculpture is likely to have been created as a votive offering to the Etruscan god Tinia and is held by the National Archaeological Museum, Florence.