1. The Chimaera of Arezzo
At the
Getty Villa

2. The Chimaera of Arezzo
Represents the battle between Bellerophon and the Chimaera
Hollow-cast in bronze, Chimaera of Arezzo shows the Etruscans' skill in metalwork.
Etruscan, 400 BCE

3. The Etruscans at 400 BCE

4. Bellerophon and the Chimaera
Hesiod and Homer’s Epic Poem, written in 700 BCE is a classic allegory
Bellerophon, a warrior, fled Greece after murdering the local tyrant
Taking refuge in at the court of King Proetus, the queen, Stheneboea, falsely accused Bellerophon of seduction after he spurned her affections

5. Bellerophon and the Chimaera
Rather than kill a guest (Greek hospitality), Proetus sent Bellerophon to King of Lycia (in Turkey) with a sealed tablet instructing that the bearer be put to death.
Hesitant to kill young Bellerophon, the King of Lycia sends him to kill the evil Chimaera, certain he will die in battle.

6. Bellerophon and the Chimaera
This amphora (storage jar) shows Bellerophon holding the tablet ordering his death.
King Proetus bids him farewell.
Queen Stheneboea looks on from the left
Pegasus, Bellerophon's famous winged horse is to the right.

7. Bellerophon and the Chimaera
Bellerophon confronts the Chimaera, whose lion head snorts flames.
A tiny lizard is about to fall prey to a bird, just as the Chimaera will succumb to Bellerophon.
A hare runs in vain from encircling hounds.

8. Cosimo I de' Medici, Duke of Florence
Medici claimed the Chimaera for Florence and installed it in the Palazzo Vecchio.
The Medici family collected antiquities and encouraged the idea that they descended from Etruscan royalty.

9. Record of Etruscan Alphabet
The Chimaera of Arezzo offered new evidence of Etruscan writing and religious beliefs.
This 1582 record is the earliest recorded reproduction of the sculpture and the Etruscan writing on it.

10. Saint George and the Dragon
For Christians (A.D. 300–700), the Chimaera was seen as a manifestation of the devil.
Saint George mounted on a rearing horse killing a dragon with his lance probably originated in the myth of Bellerophon killing the Chimaera.
From a 15th-century manuscript, the military saint's flowing cloak resembles the wings of Pegasus, but the monster is reptilian rather than feline. Iconic Representation
Bellerophon: Right over Might
Saint George: Good over Evil.

11. The Chimaera of Arezzo
The Chimaera of Arezzo endures as an emblem of Etruscan artistic achievement.