Riflessioni sui bronzetti allungati tipo « Ombra della sera »

Remarks on elongated bronzes of the “Ombra della sera” type · The study presents three elongated Etruscan bronze statuettes of the Hellenistic age of the “Ombra della sera” type, the famous statuette found in Volterra edited in 1737 by A. F. Gori. The three bronze statuettes, one pre￾served in Liverpool, one in Bilbao and one in Cleveland, have so far not been included in the studies (even recent ones) carried out on this type of statuette. The recent dis￾covery of a statuette of this type in context at the Torraccia di Chiusi (San Gimignano) allows to speculate on the manner in which these elongated bronzes were displayed in sanctuaries. The idea that the elongated figure represented the ambition of self-representation, on the part of those who intended to make little use of the expensive bronze alloy, make little use of the organicity of the depiction is due to P. Moreno and has been takenup recentlybyA. Maggiani. According to Maggiani the intention was for the statuette to exceed the height of the other votive objects. Since the elon￾gated bronzes of the “Ombra della sera” type seem to come from shrines and places of worship connected to water springs, the hypothesis is put forward that the elongation of the figure may have a connection to the elongated shape to the flow of water from the springs or to the shape of the snake’s body. The devotee may have been depicted as one of the snakes that, as documented by ancient and very recent findings, populated the sacred springs worshipped at these shrines and were dear to the deities who resided there.