ClassificationsGreek and Roman Art

Intaglio Gem Depicting Perseus Holding the Head of Medusa

CultureRoman

PeriodImperial

Date1st-2nd Century CE

MediumMicrocrystalline quartz, var. carnelian

Credit LineGift of the Estate of Michael J. Shubin

Dimensions7/16 x 3/8 x 1/8 in. (1.1 x 1 x 0.3 cm)

Object number2008.031.060

Label TextThe decapitated head of the snake-haired gorgon Medusa was prolific on Roman gemstones. This intaglio instead shows her slayer, the Greek hero Perseus, wielding her head and turning his eyes away so as not to meet her petrifying stare. In the Roman imagination, Medusa was located in the eastern reaches of the known world and may have been associated with Mithridates VI Eupator of Pontus (135-63 BCE), who used her image on his own personal sealstone. Although depictions of Greek heroes on gems were regarded generally as examples of elite male virtue, it is possible that images of her death were symbolic of Pompey’s defeat of Mithridates in 63 BCE, or more broadly of Roman dominion over its enemies.
Exhibition HistoryMonsters, Demons & Winged Beasts: Composite Creatures in the Ancient World, Michael C. Carlos Museum, February 5 - June 19, 2011
Exuberance of Meaning: The Art Patronage of Catherine the Great (1762-1796), Georgia Museum of Art, Athens, Georgia, September 21, 2013 - January 5, 2014
Passion of the Empress: Catherine the Great's Art Patronage, Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, Washington, DC, February 15 - June 8, 2014
Making an Impression: The Art and Craft of Ancient Engraved Gemstones, Michael C. Carlos Museum, August 27 - November 27, 2022
Published ReferencesAsen Kirin, Exuberance of Meaning: The Art Patronage of Catherine the Great (1762-1796) (Georgia: Georgia Museum of Art, 2013), 190, number 47.

ProvenanceEx coll. Michael Shubin (1950-2008), Montebello, California.

Status

Not on view

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