Scientific examinations of a number of black decorations on Etruscan terracottas have shown the presence of a manganese iron paint slip (managanese black). The black color is mainly due to the presence of the spinel jacobsite (MnFe₂O₄). This pigment is formed by firingunder oxidizing conditions manganeseand iron-rich clay slips. The manganese black technique therefore differs significantly from the classic iron-reduction technique. Its main ad vantage is that red and black colors can be obtained in one oxidizing firing-cycle. The manganese black technique was first used in the Near East and the Balkans (seventh to first millennium). This contribution reports its occurrence for the first time in the Etruscan area.