The chandelier features eight leaping dolphins, each placed directly beneath the eight ithyphallic satyrs and above a stylized sea wave. In Etruscan culture, the dolphin was a symbol rich in meaning, often connected to the sea, death, and rebirth. Common in funerary art, it represented a guide for the soul to the afterlife, playing a psychopompic role. As sea dwellers, dolphins also evoked purification and rebirth, aligning with the symbolic value of water for the Etruscans. Below the dolphins, sea waves are represented, symbolizing the boundaries of the terrestrial world.
Dolphins
By Irene Menci|2025-06-10T10:42:07+02:0006/06/2025|History of the Etruscan Chandelier of Cortona|0 Comments



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