Vessel in the Shape of a Wild Boar (700–500 BCE or 1900s CE): Art, History and Details

Vessel in the Shape of a Wild Boar (700–500 BCE or 1900s CE) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Wild boars were a favorite motif in classical antiquity, but this vessel has long puzzled scholars. Its brown, burnished surface, with incised geometric decoration, recalls Etruscan impasto pottery from as early as the seventh century BC. The naturalistic shape of the boar, however, resembles terracotta vessels made in the fifth century BC or later. Recent scientific analysis suggests that this vessel may have been made in the 20th century, and our curators and conservators are continuing their research.

Object facts

• Title: Vessel in the Shape of a Wild Boar
• Date: 700–500 BCE or 1900s CE
• Culture: Italy, Etruscan or modern forgery
• Type: Ceramic
• Technique: terracotta
• Dimensions: Overall: 17.5 cm (6 7/8 in.)
• Collection: GR - Etruscan
• Department: Greek and Roman Art
• Accession number: 1977.42

A detail from the museum

This boar enjoyed brief internet fame, with a series of online memes peaking in 2018.

Collection credit

Norman O. Stone and Ella A. Stone Memorial Fund

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.