Gorgoneion Plaque with Incised Figure of a Dancing Satyr
Unknown Artist
c. 525–475 BCE
Medium
terracotta
Dimensions
6.7 × 6.7 cm
Classification
Sculpture
Department
Greek and Roman Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
John L. Severance Fund
Accession Number
1994.8
About this artwork
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 visibl...