ClassificationsGreek and Roman Art
Intaglio Gem Depicting Perseus Holding the Head of Medusa
AAT Object Form/Functiongems (worked stones)
AAT Object Form/Functionfigures (representations)
AAT Object Techniqueintaglios (sculptural objects)
CultureRoman
PeriodImperial
Date1st-2nd Century CE
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 viewCollections
- Greek and Roman Art
early 1st Century BCE
late 2nd Century CE
2nd-3rd Century CE
3rd Century CE
1st Century CE
late 3rd Century CE
3rd Century CE
late 1st Century BCE-early 1st Century CE
282-246 BCE
late 2nd-early 3rd Century CE
late 1st Century BCE