A Gorgon stands at its centre, surrounded by satyrs and sirens with striking and provocative features. Yet nothing on the Etruscan Chandelier of Cortona appears to be merely decorative.

Discovered near Cortona in 1840 and now housed at the MAEC, this extraordinary bronze masterpiece was probably made in the Orvieto area to illuminate a sacred space.

Its figures evoke ideas of protection, religious ritual, water and rebirth, revealing an object far more complex than a simple source of light.

What did these creatures really represent? And why was the chandelier placed inside a votive pit and hidden for more than two thousand years?

In this episode of Cortona: City of Hidden Treasures, Silvia Vecchini meets Professor Paolo Bruschetti, who reveals the history, original purpose and complex symbolism of one of Cortona’s most important Etruscan artefacts.