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| The decorative ornament MEDUSA |
The decorative
ornament MEDUSA
Greek
mythology as decoration, Medusa
-A
particularly common decorative ornament is the head of Medusa.
It can be
executed in several ways: in stone, wood and iron and often it is depicted on a
shield but occasionally I also encounter it without this background. As an
independent ornament it can be in the form of a sculpture or a bas relief
carving.
Who is
Medusa then?
According
to Greek mythology, Medusa is a daughter of the sea gods Phorcys and his sister
Ceto. Together with her sisters Stheno and Euryale they were depicted as women
with tusks, hands of bronze, golden wings and snakes instead of hair and were
called the gorgonians. Medusa was the only one who was mortal.
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Museum in Lille (FR) | Medusa
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Originally
Medusa was a beautiful girl until she was caught by Pallas Athens in one of her
temples while there Medusa made love to Poseidon and thus disconsecrated the
temple. According to Ovid, Medusa was raped by Poseidon. Nevertheless, Pallas
Athens became so angry that she turned Medusa into a monster with snakes like
hair, tusks of a pig, glowing eyes and a tongue that stuck out of the mouth. A
cosmetic metamorphosis that made the sight of Medusa so terrible that everyone
who looked at her turned into stone.
Medusa was
finally beheaded by the hero Perseus, who had received some help from Athens,
and as a thank you Perseus offered her the head of Medusa and Athens placed the
head on her shield in order to petrify enemies with it.
The
shepherd's hour with Poseidon was not without consequences and when Peseus cut
off the head of Medusa, Medusa gave birth to the winged horse Pegasus together
with the giant Chrysaor.
Because of
the frightening sight of Medusa's head, this motif is often used as an ornament
on doors and facades of buildings or in the possession of a king.
Here are
some examples of this decorative ornament
that I've
photographed for many years.
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| Left shield, the ornament MEDUSA | Castle of Versailles |
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| Statue of Louis XIV in Versailles |
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Detail statue Louis XIV | MEDUSA |
Castle of Versailles
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Le Grand Trianon in Versailles | Compositions of ornaments
On the left in the picture a shield with Medusa
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At the TEFAF in Maastricht |
Medusa depicted on a shield
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| Antica 2018 Namur Antiques Fair | Medusa in bronze |
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Medusa, Richelieu Library in Paris |
Facade decoration in stone
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| The decorative ornament MEDUSA |
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| Medusa depicted on a cannon | Paris Les Invalides |
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| Medusa | Antica Namur Antiques Fair Belgium, 2019 |
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| Greek mythology as decoration | Fontainebleau |
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The decorative ornament MEDUSA |
Greek mythology as decoration | Fontainebleau
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Medusa depicted in a war trophy |
Paris Carnavalet Museum
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| https://www.patrickdamiaens.info |
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