**First Time At Auction**
Roman, Imperial period, probably Eastern Empire, 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: 14.5" W x 18.5" H (36.8 cm x 47 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.
A similar marble relief gorgoneion can be found in the courtyard of the Istanbul Archeological Museum, under inventory number 513.
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Provenance: East Coast collection, New York Gallery, New York City, New York, USA, acquired before 2010
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#177237
Condition
Fragment of a larger piece. Chipping to corners and peripheries, though none effecting relief. Some loss to nose and abrasions to surface, all commensurate with age. Nice remaining detail.