Cleveland Museum of Art
Gorgoneion Plaque
- Date
- c. 525–475 BCE
- Medium
- terracotta
- Culture
- Greece, South Italy
- Department
- Greek and Roman Art
- Institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
Probably meant to decorate the outside of a wooden coffin or other tomb furniture, this small mold-made terracotta plaque is one of two in the collection (click here for the other). Both bear gorgoneia , or frontal Gorgon faces, with snaky hair, sharp teeth, and protruding tongue, perhaps meant to ward off evils. A bit of fingerprint survives on the reverse, likely from its ancient maker. The gorgoneion , or disembodied head of Medusa, may have served as protection against evils.
The authoritative record is held by Cleveland Museum of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.
Related across collections
Semantically similar works from Cleveland Museum of Art and other institutions.
Gorgoneion Plaque with Incised Figure of a Dancing Satyr
Cleveland Museum of Art
Gorgoneion Antefix (Ornamental Roof Tile)
Cleveland Museum of Art
Gorgoneion Applique
Getty Museum
Gorgon Head Antefix
Getty Museum
Engraved Scarab with Head of a Gorgon
Getty Museum
Doorknocker with Gorgon Head
Cleveland Museum of Art
Appliqué of a Gorgoneion
Getty Museum
Black-Figure Eye Cup: Iris and Satyrs (A, B); Gorgoneion (I)
Cleveland Museum of Art
Roundel with the Head of Medusa
Getty Museum
Antefix Fragment
Getty Museum
Gorgoneion (Medusa Head)
Getty Museum
Prometopidion
Getty Museum