Gorgoneion Plaque (c. 525–475 BCE): Art, History and Details

Gorgoneion Plaque (c. 525–475 BCE) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

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.

Object facts

• Title: Gorgoneion Plaque
• Date: c. 525–475 BCE
• Culture: Greek / South Italian
• Type: Sculpture
• Technique: terracotta
• Dimensions: Overall: 6.9 x 6.9 cm (2 11/16 x 2 11/16 in.)
• Collection: GR - South Italy
• Department: Greek and Roman Art
• Accession number: 1996.34

A detail from the museum

The gorgoneion, or disembodied head of Medusa, may have served as protection against evils.

Collection credit

Gift of Robert Haber

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.