This distinctive cameo of Medusa is set in a modern gold ring. Cameo cutting, which flourished in the luxurious courts of the Hellenistic East, was a cultivated and prized art form under the Roman Empire. Artists used drills to carve intricate portraits and scenes in relief on the small, hard stones. Because sardonyx is a multi-veined stone, artists carefully arranged their compositions to make use of the natural color layers. Our cameo shows the face in a single white layer emerging from a blue-black layer visible around the lower portion of the hair. Above the head are two small, stylized wings. The expression is pained, rather than horrible, with almond shaped eyes and a small mouth placed on a youthful, not unattractive feminine face. Such idealization owes much to the Hellenistic style, which portrayed even monsters and slain figures in sublime excellence of form.

The disembodied head of Medusa, known in Greek as the gorgoneia, is among the most ancient images in the classical world. The fearsome head, often embellished with snake hair and wings, fangs and a lolling tongue, was regarded as a protective emblem, and can be found carved or painted on doors, walls, breastplates, shields, tombstones and various objects. In Greek myth, the severed head of the gorgon adorns the center of the shield of Zeus, inspiring terror in any who oppose the divinity. The head of Medusa was also a principal feature of the Roman Imperial cuirass, and large cameos of Medusa were used to ornament special pendants, known as phalerae, awarded as a military honor. Our cameo may likewise have been worn as a ring or pendant to ward off evil from its wearer.

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