Vessel in the Shape of a Wild Boar

700–500 BC or 1900s AD

Vessel in the Shape of a Wild Boar, 700–500 BC or 1900s AD. Italy, Etruscan or modern forgery. Terracotta; overall: 17.5 cm (6 7/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Norman O. Stone and Ella A. Stone Memorial Fund 1977.42 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. This boar enjoyed brief internet fame, with a series of online memes peaking in 2018.