Tarquinia, finishes restoration of the Tomb of the Painted Vases, an important Etruscan tomb

In Tarquinia, the restoration of the Tomb of the Painted Vases, an important Etruscan burial site discovered in 1869 in a plot of land near the city, has been completed: it is one of the most important Etruscan tombs, dates back to the late sixth century B.C. and features frescoed walls with scenes of banquets and dances, typical of these sites, and also a unique table with two vases on it, which gives its name to the whole tomb. The restoration was presented Saturday by the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti Paesaggio for the Metropolitan Area of Rome, the Province of Viterbo and Southern Etruria: supervised by Franco Adamo and financed by the Ny Carlsberg Foundation through the Academy of Denmark, it has made it possible to return to everyone an important cultural heritage, which in the future it will be possible, the Soprintendenza says, to make visitable also for the general public.

The tomb has been fully recovered after the ravages of time and especially a devastating intervention by “grave robbers” in August 1963 had removed large parts of the painted walls by means of a chainsaw. The restoration also yielded the wonderful surprise of a new painted figure, previously unknown because it was covered by a limestone encrustation, but now returned to light in all its fine detail. The team of restorers to whom the work is owed, headed by Franco Adamo, also includes Adele Cecchini and Mariangela Santella.

In the near future, the Superintendent’s Office says, in order to make the monument accessible, it will be necessary to equip it with a glass door with thermal break and secure its access route from the edge of the bank above. In this way, after saving an archaeological masterpiece from certain ruin, protection can be combined with public enjoyment, which is always its ultimate goal as established by law.

The presentation took place at the end of the Days in Remembrance of Maria Cataldi, Tarquinia’s late well-deserving archaeologist, which were held between Rome and Tarquinia from October 14 to 16. And precisely on the final day of Saturday 16, starting in the morning, ample space was given to the restoration of the Tomb of the Painted Vases, and then opened the restored hypogeum in the afternoon to a select group of academics and institutions, thanks to the hospitality of the Quattro Grani farm. The inauguration was attended, among others, by Charlotte Bundgaard, director of the Academy of Denmark, Martina Tosoni, of the City of Tarquinia, Francesca Boitani, president of the Association of Friends of the Painted Tombs of Tarquinia, Giovanna Bagnasco Gianni and Matilde Marzullo, of the University of Milan, Laura Michetti, Claudia Carlucci and Barbara Belelli, of the Sapienza University of Rome, Maurizio Sannibale, director of the Gregorian Etruscan Museum of the Vatican, Etruscologists Gilda Bartoloni and Stephan Steingräber, welcomed by Superintendent Margherita Eichberg and archaeological officer Daniele F. Maras, with Annette Rathje of the Academy of Denmark and restorers Adele Cecchini and Franco Adamo.

Pictured: the Tomb of the Painted Vases after restoration.

Tarquinia, finishes restoration of the Tomb of the Painted Vases, an important Etruscan tomb

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