SEAN HEMINGWAY: This terracotta statue, originally a full, standing figure, depicts a young Etruscan woman. She is adorned with elaborate necklaces and an armband, all of which appear to be reproduced from molds of actual jewelry. Originally, she also wore a pair of very large earrings resembling clusters of grapes. In fact, the one on her left ear is still visible behind her long hair. Richard DePuma is Professor Emeritus at the University of Iowa.

RICHARD DEPUMA: One of the most exciting things about this particular figure is that she is so beautifully decorated with jewelry. She’s wearing three necklaces, one of which contains a whole series of pendants that are modeled to show various gods and heroes of the Etruscans. The largest necklace, the one that is actually over her shoulders and in front, had three large pendants on it. And two of those pendants are what we call buli. They’re actually amulets. They are hollow pendants that contain something sacred, something magical, to help keep people from catching diseases, or to help purify them in some way, to protect them in some way. And they were worn by children, by adults too. And even by animals, in fact.

SEAN HEMINGWAY: The Etruscans did not have a source for high-quality stone. Therefore, they used terracotta for freestanding sculptures, like this one, and for more ambitious architectural compositions.