Gorgon question

[Doc]

Hello,

I read that Medusa had two other sisters and all three are the main gorgons usually depicted in Greek and Roman art. Do they all look the same or are they depicted differently. I did a search online but came away with photos of medusa only.

Can someone tell me if in fact they have different appearances and if possible provide me with some pictures.

Thanks in advance

[Epictetus]

I believe they looked the same.

And near them are their three winged sisters, the snake-haired (drakontomalloi) Gorgones, loathed of mankind, whom no one of mortal kind shall look upon and still draw breath.

Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound

and

There were the ruthless Gorgones: through their hair horribly serpents coiled with flickering tongues.

Quintus Smyrnaeus, Fall of Troy

Here all three are depicted. (I like how Medusa is headless, by the way. Nice touch.) Here they have wings, but apparently the snakes come out of their sides or waists instead of out of their heads.



More info: http://www.theoi.com/Pontios/Gorgones.html

[PhilusEstilius]

This is indeed a very interesting question but to find an answer we might well become lost in Mythology, where we learn that there were three sisters and Medusa being the only mortal one.

This also is a Gorgon but looks very much to be a male figure with even a beard.
[attachment=8714]P23.10Gorgon1.jpg[/attachment]

[M. Val. Naso]

Does someone know of any late antique orbiculi depicting gorgons? I know of belt stiffeners which do, apparently, I would go nuts if I could wear one,

[Doc]

Thanks for the replies.

Indeed it is a good question since I searched for 2 hrs yesterday on the internet in every search engine possible and found nothing. That is why maybe on the Lauresfort phalerae the artist made medusa twice and nearly exactly the same in appearance.

[Flavivs Aetivs]

Does someone know of any late antique orbiculi depicting gorgons? I know of belt stiffeners which do, apparently, I would go nuts if I could wear one,

Unfortunately I don't know of any. It would be interesting if there were though. I reccomend asking Graham Sumner, he might know.

[PhilusEstilius]

Paolo.
The Gorgons of the Lauersfort are in fact two different figures the one that appears to depict the Medusa is a very fine piece of artwork indeed, however it does not have a full head of snakes but only four that can be seen one above each wing in the hair and the others at the brow.
The other is a bit more of a fragmentary one that does not show any snakes that we can see it is however very different to what is the Medusa piece, these two phalerae are not horrific at all in appearance and may in fact be considered to look more masculine in their appearance.
When I have made these in the past the most difficult job is to get that dead pan expression of the Medusa piece.
[attachment=8727]img068.jpg[/attachment]

[attachment=8728]img069.jpg[/attachment]

[Doc]

Hello Brian,

Thanks for the photos. I think that the slight difference in appearance is strictly due to the hand worked nature of the piece. Without some sort of stamping tool as used on belt plates, there is no way that the two would be identical by free hand repousee. In fact, even belt plates would not be identical by stamping.

It is, as you pointed out, rather fragmentary as well so we cannot ascertain if in fact there is a major or slight intentional difference in the pieces.