Sticking out your tongue - Gorgon Style

[[Gorgon]]
Pretty much everyone knows the story of Perseus and the Gorgon. The Gorgon, called Medusa, had snakes for hair, and the rather convenient power of turning any man she looked at into stone (she'd presumably never run out of ideas for garden gnomes then). Perseus managed to kill Medusa by watching her in the reflection of his shield - that way, he could see where to thrust his sword, but not get petrified.

So as Medusa is a snake-haired, man-petrifying monster with her tongue protruding, you might wonder why on earth I'm featuring her on this blog for beautiful things.

It's because of the pathos which is shown by the sculpture. This figure of Medusa was part of the west pediment at the Temple of Artemis at Corcyra, from around 580BC. She is shown (out of the frame of this picture) running sideways, on her knees. There were originally figures of her two children, Chrysaor and Pegasus (yup. The winged horse) exploding from her cut neck. As she still has her neck in one piece here, this tells us that the sculptor has chosen to portray this myth synoptically, that is, all at one go rather than in separate frames.

So in one moment, this disgusting monster is killed (whoops of celebration), yet she becomes a mother to two beautiful children. It is this simultaneity of contrasting emotion which makes this pediment a success.

This photo is actually of a plaster cast in the Cambridge Cast Gallery - the original, being in the Corfu Museum, is rather too far away to photograph!

You'll never be happy with your jewellery box again.

[[Pyxis]]

This charming little container dates from around the late Geometric period. It shows a series of detailed patterns around the bowl, more lines and criss-crosses on the lid, and on top, four horses.

Naturally, as with many objects from antiquity, dating and usage is uncertain. Judging from the style, it was probably made in the 8th century BC, since there is a strong emphasis on geometric patterns rather than drawings of animals that became common later.

Of course, one of the main visual appeals of this piece are the four horses on top of the pyxis, which function both as an ornament and a lid handle. They tell us about the owner of the piece and their interests: horses were expensive to keep, then as now, and so the only people who could afford them would be the aristocracy. Think of the warriors in Homer's Iliad : the greatest ones are often also princes, and ride in chariots. Horses were thus a sign of prestige in the ancient world.

This particular one can be seen in the British Museum; turn left as you walk in, go through the Cycladic art section, then turn right into the Greek art section. This little pot is on one of the lower shelves.

A Bride of Hades

[[Phrasikleia]]

This statue, slightly over life-size, is the grave marker of a young woman who died in Ancient Greece before her wedding day.

The inscription says she will 'always be called kore', which means maiden, since she would remain a virgin forever.

This statue, like many statues from Ancient Greece, was originally painted; she had patterns on her dress, and her jewellery was picked out in yellow and gold.

She was found in a pit along with a statue of a male, and although some people have suggested the two statues were made by the same sculptor, this is just speculation.

Her inscription also says the statue is the sema, or sign, of Phrasikleia. Yet it looks so life-like: is the statue a reminder of her absence from this world, or an attempt to conjure up her presence?

The ambiguity is probably never meant to be solved.