Description:

Roman, Imperial period, ca. 1st to 4th century CE. A fantastic marble relief of a gorgoneion or the head of a gorgon - a frightening, beast-like female creature, usually with serpents for hair like Medusa, who's head was used as a monstrous symbol believed to hold apotropaic powers throughout antiquity. The round head presents a characteristically broad visage comprised of heavy-lidded eyes, a bulbous nose, fleshy cheeks, and a closed-lipped smile, all surrounded by a serpentine coiffure of undulating tresses. A marvelous frontal head of a Gorgon, one of three mythological sisters of the ancient Greek world whose hideous visages embodied the most horrifying aspects of death and the supernatural! How ironic that the sculptor created a marble version of this mythical monster whose mere gaze could transform onlookers to stone! Size: 9.8" W x 11.5" H (24.9 cm x 29.2 cm)

Throughout the ages, gorgons and Medusa have been immortalized in countless works of art. Some of you may be familiar with the dramatic interpretations by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, Peter Paul Rubens, Benevenuto Cellini, Gianlorenzo Bernini, Rene Lalique, Antonio Canova, and the list goes on. These artists of the Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassical eras were inspired by ancient renderings of Medusa like this example.

Provenance: East Coast collection, New York Gallery, New York City, New York, USA, acquired before 2010

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#159373

  • Condition: Fragment of a larger piece. Chipping to nose and peripheries and some loss to proper left side of coiffure. Expected abrasions, as commensurate with age. Otherwise, excellent with nice remaining details.

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November 10, 2022 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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