Gorgon Mask

Handcrafted · Made to order · Price on request

A sculptural Gorgon mask framed by coiling serpents, with a bronze-toned painted face, dark eye surrounds and an open mouth. The snakes rise above the brow and continue around the sides.

The Archaeopolis mask

The studio photograph records the Gorgon Mask from the Archaeopolis object archive, a contemporary interpretation of the snake-haired figure. The archive credits a selected collaborating artist. Material, workshop details and the specification of a new commission are confirmed individually. The bronze-toned appearance describes the visible surface, not a cast-bronze material.

Historical and archaeological context

Medusa and the Gorgoneion

The Gorgoneion is the frontal head or face of the Gorgon, especially Medusa. In Greek art it frequently carried an apotropaic meaning, intended to ward off harm. The Metropolitan Museum’s study traces the image across pottery, architectural decoration and armour, and explains how fierce early faces developed into more human-looking forms.

Madeleine Glennon, Medusa in Ancient Greek Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art (2017).

A Greek architectural comparison

A terracotta Gorgoneion antefix from Taranto in southern Italy, now at The Met, dates to the second half of the fifth century BCE. Its expression is transitional between earlier fierce Medusa images and later calmer ones. This roof ornament, accession 20.215, demonstrates the protective face in architectural use. It is a contextual comparison, not a wearable mask or an exact model for the Archaeopolis design.

Your commission

Available by enquiry for a mask commission. Tell us whether the piece is intended for performance, a display or a production. Materials, measurements, fit, fastening, finish and delivery schedule are agreed before ordering. The quotation concerns the mask; any costume, musical instrument or other prop shown in an archive scene is discussed separately.

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