AN ETRUSCAN BRONZE CISTA HANDLE DEPICTING AN ACROBAT. Ca. 5th-4th century BCE H. 6 cm Provenance Swiss private collection of Baron O.C.V.L (1937-2022) Cast in bronze, in the form of a nude male youth performing an arched backbend, with his feet joined and head tilted backward. The acrobat is depicted with finely detailed facial features and hair, enhanced by incised lines. His flattened hands and feet serve as attachment points, although one pin is now missing. This handle was originally part of a cista, a cylindrical lidded container used to store women's cosmetics and toiletries, such as hairpins and strigils. Cistae have predominantly been found in the tombs of wealthy Etruscan women.