Charu(n), whose name originates from the Greek Charon – the ferryman leading the souls to the afterlife in Greek mythology – is the Etruscan demon of death: he is represented with an aquiline nose, a short beard, uncombed hair and pointed ears. Two large stacked palmettes constitute the symmetrical axis of the composition, then articulated into several highly precise and complex volutes that include other palmettes and flowers in the shape of a chalice. The area under the handles is entirely covered with plant and geometric motifs which echo, in a much more elaborate way, the elements painted under the lip. The naked woman has placed her cloak on a tree trunk that frames the scene just behind her. The Dionysian subject represented on the reverse face is also related to the sphere of the afterlife (Dionysus, Fufluns in Etruscan, is a god with a very strong chthonic character), even if it is a jubilation scene between a satyr (identifiable by his horse ears and tail) and a maenad who are performing a frenetic dance. On the obverse face, the scene depicted is of a funeral nature: a winged demon ( Charu(n) in Etruscan) approaches a young man (the deceased?), fleeing with large strides to the left, and touches his left elbow, probably to announce his impending death. Except for the lower body and the foot, painted black, the large available surface served as a pretext for the painter to draw abstract patterns, vegetal ornaments or figural scenes: on the neck, there is a) a complex floral motif (palmettes, volutes, flowers) b) a simplified Ionian kyma c) a procession of six bearded sea monsters, parading to the left: there are three ketoi, according to the Greek term, on each side, those in the middle being highlighted by the use of white paint. In this case, the decoration is organized in several friezes and panels, one independent from another. The large vessels were probably manufactured expressly for burial, as often confirmed by the subjects selected by the painters. One of the main characteristics of Faliscan red-figure pottery is its high artistic quality, which translates into an impeccable style of drawing, both complicated and precise, in the choice of the subjects, often based on Greek myths, and in elaborate and well-structured composition of the scenes.
The impressive shape, enriched with volutes on the upper handles and with moldings on the lip and foot, perfectly fits with the refinement of the figural and subsidiary decoration.
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