Villanovan Bronze Situla in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, January 2018

Bronze situla (bucket)

Date:8th century B.C.

Culture:Villanovan

Medium:Bronze

Dimensions:H. 6 3/8 in. (16.2 cm); diameter of bottom 7 3/4 in. (19.7 cm)

Classification: Bronzes

Credit Line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917

Accession Number:17.190.2128

The precise function of early vessels like this one is unknown. However, by the sixth century B.C., similar objects were represented as banqueting vessels with wine or some other drink being ladled from them. Interestingly, the decorative patterns on the lower portion of this example are precisely paralleled on contemporaneous bronze shields.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/249233