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A banded onyx Medusa intaglio mounted as a gold pendant
$ 6,000.00
Further images
The looping yellow gold pendant fitting supporting an annular banded onyx bead, polished almost flat to one side and swivelling to reveal a finely engraved horizontal portrait of the ancient...
The looping yellow gold pendant fitting supporting an annular banded onyx bead, polished almost flat to one side and swivelling to reveal a finely engraved horizontal portrait of the ancient gorgon Medusa to the other, intaglio 1st-2nd Century AD, mounted in the 19th century. Diameter of onyx 1.2cm, total length of pendant 3cm. Weight 3.75grams.
It's an excellent moment to marvel at the magic of intaglio carving. This particular gem having been carved deeply enough to create almost a reverse cameo. The detail that reveals itself from the impression made in the putty is such a wonderful surprise. The movement of her hair, fullness of her cheeks and general detail (she has eye balls!) are exquisite. It's still a bit of mystery how these were so minutely executed in ancient times, without magnification, by hand...but, as with so many of the feats of the ancient world, there is a real thrill in handling them today.
Beyond physical treasures that survive from antiquity, stories have permeated the ages too and the myth of Medusa has been with humanity for thousands of years. Her powerful image has evolved and been adapted to espouse many important, and often contradictory, ideas. There are few great artists over the ages who have not been inspired by her in some way.
For the Ancient Greeks, Medusa was a Gorgon. A protective winged monster, with living snakes for hair whose face was so gruesome it turned men to stone.
This myth evolved over time and the Roman Ovid described her as having been an enviable beauty, whose hideous face, snake-hair, and stone gaze were a curse from Athena in jealous revenge.
The depiction of Medusa in this intaglio seems to have been framed by the spirit of this age as her features are by no means gruesome and yet her wings and the serpents in her hair, whose tails join and tie beneath her chin, are every bit the traditional Roman interpretation that we have all come to recognise instantly.
Significantly, when the gods helped the hero Perseus decapitate Medusa, it led to life. Her severed head retained its powers of petrification and was used as a protective force, and from her body she gave birth to Pegasus and his brother Chrysoar.
This power to evoke both fear of death and be sought out as source of protection of life is core to Medusa’s intriguing duality and why she has remained a core figure over the ages, as a reflection of our own.
It's an excellent moment to marvel at the magic of intaglio carving. This particular gem having been carved deeply enough to create almost a reverse cameo. The detail that reveals itself from the impression made in the putty is such a wonderful surprise. The movement of her hair, fullness of her cheeks and general detail (she has eye balls!) are exquisite. It's still a bit of mystery how these were so minutely executed in ancient times, without magnification, by hand...but, as with so many of the feats of the ancient world, there is a real thrill in handling them today.
Beyond physical treasures that survive from antiquity, stories have permeated the ages too and the myth of Medusa has been with humanity for thousands of years. Her powerful image has evolved and been adapted to espouse many important, and often contradictory, ideas. There are few great artists over the ages who have not been inspired by her in some way.
For the Ancient Greeks, Medusa was a Gorgon. A protective winged monster, with living snakes for hair whose face was so gruesome it turned men to stone.
This myth evolved over time and the Roman Ovid described her as having been an enviable beauty, whose hideous face, snake-hair, and stone gaze were a curse from Athena in jealous revenge.
The depiction of Medusa in this intaglio seems to have been framed by the spirit of this age as her features are by no means gruesome and yet her wings and the serpents in her hair, whose tails join and tie beneath her chin, are every bit the traditional Roman interpretation that we have all come to recognise instantly.
Significantly, when the gods helped the hero Perseus decapitate Medusa, it led to life. Her severed head retained its powers of petrification and was used as a protective force, and from her body she gave birth to Pegasus and his brother Chrysoar.
This power to evoke both fear of death and be sought out as source of protection of life is core to Medusa’s intriguing duality and why she has remained a core figure over the ages, as a reflection of our own.
