Gorgoneion Plaque with Incised Figure of a Dancing Satyr (c. 525–475 BCE): Art, History and Details

Gorgoneion Plaque with Incised Figure of a Dancing Satyr (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. Curiously, this plaque also features decoration on its back side, in the form of a spirited dancing satyr incised into the clay before firing. Since this satyr would not have been visible once the plaque was in place, its purpose is uncertain. Was it simply diversion for the artisan who made it, or meant to protect the spirit of the deceased?

Object facts

• Title: Gorgoneion Plaque with Incised Figure of a Dancing Satyr
• Date: c. 525–475 BCE
• Culture: Greek / South Italian
• Type: Sculpture
• Technique: terracotta
• Dimensions: Overall: 6.7 x 6.7 cm (2 5/8 x 2 5/8 in.)
• Collection: GR - South Italy
• Department: Greek and Roman Art
• Accession number: 1994.8

A detail from the museum

This plaque includes a very rare ancient sketch: a satyr incised on the reverse surface.

Collection credit

John L. Severance Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Cleveland Museum of Art, “Recent Acquisitions to the Cleveland Museum of Art Collection,” August 26, 1994, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives.

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.