Digital Exhibits: Ancient Art 203

McDonough - Medusa in Ancient Greek Art

Introduction

Medusa is one of the most widely recognizable figures from Ancient Greek art.  She is most commonly known for having snakes for hair and having the ability to turn anyone to stone upon looking into her eyes.  She is depicted in several different literary works, including works by ancient writers and poets such as Homer, Hesiod, and Pindar, just to name a few.  Each depiction provides a wide-ranging and diverse picture of the fabled creature.  In art, she is also portrayed very differently from one piece to the next.  Her face is usually designed as either fierce and grotesque, or feminine and composed.  She is most commonly interpreted as an apotropaic symbol used to protect from and ward off any negativity, much like the modern evil eye.  She represents a dangerous threat meant to deter other dangerous threats (evil repelling evil).  Her role in Greek mythology and art reveals a nuanced and complex character with multiple iterations and implications.

Gorgon Medusa

The head of Gorgon Medusa, also known as a gorgoneion, was a popular theme for terracotta antefixes during ancient times.  These antefixes were used as ornamental covers which conceal the ends of tiles along the edge of a roof.  This type of antefix was typically found in Sicily and southern Italy.  During the Archaic period, Medusa was almost always depicted as a monstrous figure with huge eyes and an unsettling, big smile, which can be seen in this antefix.  These exaggerated features and surprisingly well-preserved, fierce colors of black, white and red, allowed viewers to see this piece from the ground, looking up at the roof.