The beautiful portrait in profile on the label is that of Velia Velcha, an Etruscan noble woman,
during the 4th century BC. The Etruscan reign was in decline, and the Romans were gaining power.
This circumstance perhaps suggests the reason for her graceful, yet melancholy expression.

  The ancient Etruscans. The thought provoking Etruscans were an ancient pre-Italian culture that largely remains an enigma today to modern scholars. The Etruscan culture developed various advancements we still enjoy today, most interestingly to us, they are credited with the earliest influence on viticulture and winemaking on the northern Italian peninsula. They were successful sea faring merchants that traded wine and other goods with neighboring nations around the Mediterranean.

Among the startling revelations offered by Scholars on the subject, the first French winemakers learned to make wine from the Etruscans around 525 B.C., according to new research by a team of leading scientists and archaeologists. The Etruscans occupied the mid to northern Italian peninsula, a land known as Etruria, what is in the present day primarily the region around Tuscany. The mystery of their origin has continued to plague art historians and anthropologists alike; questions remain about whether they were from the Eastern Mediterranean region or Northern Europe or are simply native to the Italian peninsula area. During the first millennium BCE, the Etruscans were the dominant population in northern Italy. Yet an accurate evaluation of their culture continues to be difficult because there is a lack of information on their origins, language, and history.

The numerous tomb paintings found near the Etruscan cities Tarquinia and Vulci from the fourth and third centuries BCE offer historians an opportunity to evaluate how the Etruscans viewed themselves. The Tomba dell’Orco is a 4th-century BC Etruscan hypogeum chamber in Tarquinia, Italy. Discovered in 1868, the chamber displays paintings with Hellenistic art influences in its remarkable murals. Among the murals is found the portrait of Velia Velcha. The image of Velia is a pale sillhoute against a dark cloud. An overwhelming sense of sadness contrasts with the vigorous mood of earlier period Etruscan painted images. The portrait likely symbolizes the difficult times during the fourth century, when Romans conquered several Etruscan cities. Velia is richly attired in elaborately worked earrings and necklaces. The very realistic depiction of the eye, shown from the side rather than frontally as in the earlier period Etruscan imagery, is a clear indication of the Hellenistic art influence and reflects the artist’s knowledge of late 4th Century BCE Greek style models. The portrait is one of the most beautiful examples of surviving hand painted artwork in the richly decorated chambers in the Etruscan necropolis of Tarquinia, province of Lazio, Italy.