SculptureSouth Italian3rd century BCE

Head of the Gorgon Medusa from a Funerary Vessel

3rd century BCE

Description

Depiction of the head of the Gorgon Medusa in relief. Curling and waving hair frames a rounded, symmetrical face, which is frontal to the viewer. At the cheeks, snake heads emerge from Medusa's hair. White slip covers the surface, and traces of pigment are visible in the lips. From an applique on an Canosan funerary vessel, likely an askos. Mended from three fragments.

Classification

Sculpture

Technique

Mold-made

Medium

Terracotta with remains of white slip

Culture

South Italian

Period

Hellenistic period, Early

Century

3rd century BCE

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Department

Department of Ancient and Byzantine Art & Numismatics

Dimensions

H. 19.3 × W. 15.6 × D. 7.6 cm (7 5/8 × 6 1/8 × 3 in.)

Provenance

Louis-Joseph-Raphaël Collin [1], Paris, (by 1890-1911), sold; to William A. Clark [2], New York, (by 1911-1925), bequest; to Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., (1926-2018) [3], transferred; to American University Museum, Washington, D.C., (2018-2021), sold; [through Sands of Time, Washington, D.C.]; to Harvard Art Museums, 2022. 1. Louis-Joseph-Raphaël Collin (1850-1916) 2. William Andrews Clark (1839-1925) 3. Following the closure of the Corcoran Gallery in 2014, its collections were physically transferred to the National Gallery of Art (Washington, D.C.); the Corcoran Board of Trustees retained ownership until the collections were officially transferred to and accessioned into other museums’ collections (in 2018, in this case).