The tomb, carved into travertine at a depth of five meters with a twenty-meter-long access dromos, is adorned with a vivid and striking pictorial cycle that stands out against the white plaster. On the right side of the access corridor, a quadriga—composed of two lions and two griffins—is depicted pulling a chariot driven by a sinister-looking demon with a grim face and wild gaze (possibly Charun, the Etruscan counterpart of the Greek Charon, who served as the guide of souls to the Underworld, here fulfilling the unique Etruscan role of a charioteer).
The scene is one of great dynamism: two male figures recline on a banquet couch, exchanging an extraordinary gesture of affection that is unparalleled in Etruscan art. These figures represent the tomb’s two deceased occupants, shown feasting in the Underworld. Beside them stands a servant holding a strainer to filter wine. Below, a frieze of dolphins plunges into ocean waves, where the dive symbolizes the transition to the afterlife.
In the rear chamber, an extraordinary three-headed serpent is depicted, representing one of the many monsters that populated the Etruscan underworld, along with the more common hippocamp found on the back wall. Here, a colossal gray alabaster sarcophagus takes center stage, featuring the recumbent figure of the deceased resting on two cushions, with a relief of a kline (banquet couch) carved into the chest of the sarcophagus.
Both the style of the paintings and the grave goods date to the second half of the 4th century BCE.
