Etruscan Soldiers and a Fighting Horseman, Hand Colored Lithograph, 1842

An original antique lithograph, hand colored, from the Galleria Universale di Tutti i Popoli del Mondo (Venice, Giuseppe Antonelli, 1842). The upper image shows two armed figures and a helmet, all tinted a dark bronze green as if they were ancient statuettes. At left a man in a tall pointed helmet with a closed face guard holds a short sword and a large rectangular shield. In the center a crested helmet with a visor rests on a tall post. At right a bareheaded man with a broad belt, a short kilt and greaves holds a curved blade in one hand and rests the other on a long curved shield. In the lower image a rider in a blue scaled tunic with a red sash and a yellow headband sits a pale horse and holds a long spear, while a man on foot in a crested helmet with a round shield lifts a spear against him and a second man in a red cloak and yellow kilt raises another spear at right.

The lettering reads "Tom: IV" at upper left, "ITALIA" in the center and "Tav. 40" at upper right. The captions read "Soldati Etruschi" (Etruscan Soldiers) and "Cavaliere combattente" (Fighting Horseman).

The Etruscans were the people of ancient Etruria, in today's Tuscany and northern Lazio, before the rise of Rome.

The dark bronze figures above and the colored skirmish below make a striking pair on a pale wall.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.