Etruscan Bronze Bronze figure of a Haruspex with Spanish export license - 13.5 cm

This figure represents a haruspex, a priest specializing in interpreting the divine will through the examination of animal entrails, a practice known as extispicina. The decisive element of the representation is the patera held by the figure, upon which rests a liver, the central instrument of the divinatory ritual.

The liver, conceived in the Etruscan tradition as a symbolic map of the cosmos, constituted the material support for divine interpretation. Its surface was interpreted as a system of signs in which each irregularity, division, or mark referred to the will of the gods. Examples such as the famous Liver of Piacenza demonstrate the extent to which this organ was understood as a structured microcosm, susceptible to being "read" by the priest.

In this sculpture, the explicit inclusion of the liver on the patera is not a mere attribute, but rather the semantic core of the work. The figure represents not merely an officiant, but the very act of divination: the mediation between the visible—the organic matter of the sacrifice—and the invisible—the divine order manifested through it.

Formally, the piece adheres to the typology of Etruscan-Italic votive bronzes, with a frontal, rigid, and essentialized configuration. The elongated body, with its simplified volumes, lacks detailed anatomical development, favoring a hieratic presence that underscores its ritual function. This formal economy is characteristic of works intended for devotional contexts, where symbolic efficacy prevails over mimesis.

The patera, held with a restrained gesture, acts as a surface of revelation: an intermediate plane upon which the divine sign is deposited. In this sense, the sculpture articulates a threefold dimension—object, gesture, and meaning—condensing into a small format one of the most complex practices of ancient religious thought.

The surface retains an ancient patina in shades of green and dark, the result of prolonged oxidation processes, which reinforce both the material authenticity and the temporal depth of the piece.

As a whole, the work constitutes an exceptional testament to the persistence of the Etruscan tradition in the Roman world, and to a conception of knowledge based on the ritual interpretation of the world. The haruspex, bearer of the sacrificial liver, thus embodies the figure of the interpreter: one capable of translating matter into destiny.

Acquired from a French private collection, G.D in the 80's.
-The piece includes an authenticity certificate as well as Spanish license export (Passport for European Union).

IMPORTANT: Due to the new laws on the export of archaeological pieces, we have decided to NO LONGER sell outside the European territory for the following countries: SWITZERLAND & UNITED STATES of AMERICA.

For other destinations out of European territory: all our items will be shipped after obtaining a definitive LICENSE EXPORTATION by the Ministry of Culture of Spain. We inform our clients that it may take between
4-8 weeks. According to Spanish legislation, items sent outside the European Union are subjected to export taxes. The taxes will be added to the invoice, at the buyer's expense. These export fees are fixed on the final auction price, and the tax rate is not applied directly to the total value of the item to be exported, but rather the different percentages by sections are applied to it:
Up to 6,000 euros: 5%. / From 6.001 to 60.000 euros: 10 %.

Please note that for far destination (Asia, middle east etc.. ), there will be an additional cost for the shipping.