Getty Museum

Gorgon Head Antefix

Date

about 500 B.C.

Medium

Terracotta and pigment

Culture

Greek

Department

Architecture

Institution

Getty Museum

The roof tiles running along the eaves of ancient Greek and Etruscan buildings often ended in upright members called antefixes. These mold-made terracottas often took the form of heads, either of humans or mythological creatures. As well as being decorative, antefixes covered and protected exposed wooden parts of the architecture from the elements. The petrifying head of the gorgon, with its staring eyes, grimacing mouth, protruding tongue, and snaky hair, had the ability to ward off evil. This antefix exploits the gorgon's protective power. An artisan added bright paint to the molded terracotta head to emphasize its effect and visibility. The meander pattern painted below the face is a common decorative motif. Stylistic features such as the rolls of tightly coiled curls on the forehead date the work to the early fifth century B.C.

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