The Etruscans constructed artistic objects especially for religious purposes. Important part of their art is related with their funerary customs. The cult of the dead, comparable to contemporaneous Egyptian practices, produced a highly developed sepulchral art. The sculptured lids of sarcophagi often reflected a single figure or a couple with the haunting archaic smile so evident in early Greek sculpture.
The most notable Etruscan works are in terra-cotta, or baked clay, and these include besides sculptures on sarcophagi, also works from temples.
As a consequence of abundant ore deposits, bronze statuary was common and the Etruscans brought the art of bronze working to a very high level of achievement. Extant examples of their craftsmanship in bronze include the life-size statue of Orator and Brutus. They rank as the finest bronze statues of its era. Most Etruscan sculpture, however, was executed in clay.
Surviving Etruscan painting in underground funerary vaults, consists of murals on the stone or plastered stone walls and ceilings of tombs. Frescoes frequently depict banquets, festivals, and scenes of daily life, sometimes have subjects from religion, some depict figures dancing or playing musical instruments. Figures are stylized, heavy, and often outlined in black. They painted little birds or animals which somehow do not seem out of place or look like merely decorations, but landed a natural harmony to the finished work.