In Memoriam: Larissa Bonfante (1931–2019)

Abstract

Mirrors, inscriptions, costume, language, history, society, sexuality, art—these were the areas of Etruscan studies in which Larissa Bonfante was an internationally admired expert. Her contributions have been influential over a period of more than 40 years and will always be remembered for what she initiated or added to the dialogue. She also took an interest in many other aspects of cultural studies, some quite surprising. Larissa’s lively curiosity and intellect led her to translate the medieval plays of Hroswitha of Gandersheim (with her daughter Alexandra Bonfante Warren), to study and publish the art of the north Italian ancient culture known as the Situla Peoples, to collaborate on articles on Michelangelo and Poussin (with the present writer), and to organize a world-class conference featuring Scythians, Thracians, Celts and other “barbarians” of ancient Europe. Over many decades, Larissa Bonfante was the recognized leader who brought together the Etruscan scholarly community in the USA, beginning in 1973 with her work on the American volumes of the Corpus Speculorum Etruscorum, for which she guided to completion 4 fascicles, including her own superb volume on the collection of mirrors in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She was the founder of the American section of the prestigious Istituto Nazionale di Studi Etruschi e Italici, reaching across the divide of the Atlantic to forge stronger bonds between American and European colleagues. Conscripted by Jane Whitehead to collaborate in the editing of the journal Etruscan Studies and the annual newspaper Etruscan News (which became the official organ of the American Section of the Istituto) Larissa played a most important role in promoting the publication of scholarly articles and reviews, and in developing a kaleidoscope of the latest news of excavations, exhibitions, books, conferences, awards, achievements, and poetry about the Etruscans, along with amusing jokes and photos of Archeocats and moving tributes to beloved colleagues who had passed from our midst. Larissa loved to bring attention to worthwhile but neglected corners of classical studies. Among her proudest achievements were her co-edited volumes of Classical Antiquities at New York University (Rome, 2006; with Blair Fowlkes) and The Collection of Antiquities of the American Academy in Rome (Ann Arbor, 2016, with Helen Nagy). Skill, patience, persistence, enthusiasm—these were the perso-