Etruscan braceletsFrom Cerveteri; Regolini-Galassi Tomb; from the main tomb in the lower chamber675-650 B.C.Laminated and cast gold decorated with embossing and granulation; length 26 cm; width 6.7/6.9 cm; diameter 9.3/10 cminv. 20562-20563The two bracelets; virtually identical; are both made from a rectangular strip with a chain clasp; divided into figured panels and outlined by frames with geometric motifs and bands of lines. The corners of the strip are decorated with human heads. Inside the panels there are three female figures with braided Hathoric hairstyles (typical of the Egyptian goddess Hathor); wearing a long bell-shaped robe. They are depicted hand in hand and holding sceptres crowned with the 'paradise flower' and saw palmetto leaves. In the panels at each end; a similar female figure with a sceptre in both hands stands between two front-facing rampant lions; each of which is in turn grasped and pierced by a male figure. There is a clear reference to the theme of the potnia theron; the lady of the animals; and therefore to life and death. In this case it is associated with the corresponding male version; that of the 'lord of the animals' and the 'hero' who kills the lion.Vatican Museums (Gregorian Etruscan Museum)2018