Gorgoneion
In
Origin
Jane Ellen Harrison claims that many cultures use similar ritual masks in order to scare the owner from doing something wrong, or, as she terms it, to make an ugly face at the owner: "The ritual object comes first; then the monster is begotten to account for it; then the hero is supplied to account for the slaying of the monster".[2]
Development
The direct frontal stare, "seemingly looking out from its own iconographical context and directly challenging the viewer",[4] was highly unusual in ancient Greek art. (The common depiction of the evil eye on sixth century drinking vessels, and particularly, eye-cups, like Gorgoneia, are assumed apotropaics.) In some instances, what sometimes appears as a beard (probably standing for stylized hair or streaks of blood) was appended to her chin, making her appear as an orgiastic deity akin to Dionysus.
Gorgoneia that decorate the shields of warriors on mid-fifth century Greek vases are considerably less grotesque and menacing. By that time, the Gorgon had lost her tusks and the snakes were rather stylized.
History
Gorgoneia appear frequently in Greek art at the turn of the eighth century BC. One of the earliest representations is on an
In the sixth century, gorgoneia of a canonical "lion mask type" were ubiquitous on Greek temples, especially in and around Corinth. Pedimental gorgoneia were common in Sicily; probably the earliest occurrence being in the Temple of Apollo in Syracuse.[7] Around 500 BC, they ceased to be used for the decoration of monumental buildings, but were still shown on antefixes of smaller structures throughout the next century.[7]
Apart from temples, the Gorgon imagery is present on garments, dishes, weapons, and coins found across the Mediterranean region from Etruria to the Black Sea coast. The Gorgon coins were struck in 37 cities, making her image on coins second in numismatic ubiquity only to several principal Olympian deities.[3] On mosaic floors, the gorgoneion usually was depicted next to the threshold, as if guarding it from hostile intruders. On Attic kilns, the gorgoneion over the kiln door protected from mishaps.[8]
The Gorgon imagery remained popular even in Christian times, especially in the
More recently, the gorgoneion was adopted by Gianni Versace as a logo for his fashion company.
Gallery
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A wooden gorgoneion on the door of a Parisian hotel to guard the establishment from unwanted guests, by Thomas Regnaudin c. 1660
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Gorgoneion in Pompeiian wall fresco
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Gorgon head, silver didrachm issued by Athens, c. 520 BC
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A Roman floor mosaic from Palencia
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Gorgon Medusa (130 AD) from the Romano-Germanic Museum in Cologne
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Here is a sculpture Medusa Bernini Musei Capitolini in 1630.
See also
References
Citations
- ^ Vassilika 1998, p. 44 (item 20).
- ^ a b Harrison 1991, pp. 187–188.
- ^ a b c d e Potts 1982, pp. 26–28.
- ^ Ogden 2008, p. 35.
- ^ Gimbutas 2001, p. 25.
- ^ Gimbutas 1989, "18.11 Burial of the Goddess's Mask (gorgoneion)", pp. 205–206.
- ^ a b Marconi 2007, pp. 214–217.
- ^ Harrison 1991, p. 189, figs. 27–30.
- ^ Fischer 1991, p. 132.
Sources
- Fischer, Moshe L. (1991). "Figured Capitals in Roman Palestine. Marble Imports and Local Stones: Some Aspects of "Imperial" and "Provincial" Art". Archäologischer Anzeiger. 1 (1). Berlin: Walter de Gruyter: 119–144.
- Gimbutas, Marija (2001). The Living Goddesses. Berkeley and Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-22915-0.
- Gimbutas, Marija (1989). The Language of the Goddess. San Francisco, CA: Harper & Row. ISBN 9780062503565.
- Harrison, Jane Ellen (1991). Prolegomena to the Study of Greek Religion. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-01514-7.
- Marconi, Clemente (2007). Temple Decoration and Cultural Identity in the Archaic Greek World: The Metopes of Selinus. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-85797-0.
- Ogden, Daniel (2008). Perseus. New York, NY: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-42725-8.
- Potts, Albert A. (1982). The World's Eye. Lexington, KY: The University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0-8131-1387-3.
- Vassilika, Eleni (1998). Greek and Roman Art in the Fitzwilliam Museum. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-62557-2.
Further reading
- Torre, Chiara (July 2021). Nooter, Sarah (ed.). "Ekphrastic Games: Ovid, the Gorgoneion, and the Invisible Shield". S2CID 235598971.