id:			157547
accession number:	1994.8
share license status:	CC0
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/1994.8
updated:		2023-01-11 07:21:59.151000

Gorgoneion Plaque with Incised Figure of a Dancing Satyr, c. 525–475 BC. Greece, South Italy, 6th-5th Century BC. Terracotta; overall: 6.7 x 6.7 cm (2 5/8 x 2 5/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund 1994.8

title:				Gorgoneion Plaque with Incised Figure of a Dancing Satyr
title in original language:	
series:				
series in original language:	
creation date:			c. 525–475 BC
creation date earliest:		-525
creation date latest:		-475
current location:		102C Greek
creditline:			John L. Severance Fund
copyright:			

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culture:	Greece, South Italy, 6th-5th Century BC
technique:	terracotta
department:	Greek and Roman Art
collection:	GR - South Italy
type:		Sculpture
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: 

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CREATORS

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measurements: Overall: 6.7 x 6.7 cm (2 5/8 x 2 5/8 in.)
state of the work:	
edition of the work: 	

support materials:


inscriptions:

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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

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PROVENANCE

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fun fact:
This plaque includes a very rare ancient sketch: a satyr incised on the reverse surface.

digital description:
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 <a href="https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1996.34">here</a> for the other). Both bear <em>gorgoneia</em>, 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 visible once the plaque was in place, its purpose is uncertain. Was it simply diversion for the artisan who made it, or meant to protect the spirit of the deceased?

wall description:
This plaque, made in a Greek colony in South Italy, probably decorated the side of a coffin. The spirited dancing satyr is on the side of the plaque facing the coffin wall, visible only to the spirit of the deceased inside the coffin. The side of the plaque that faced out (look in the mirror) bears the head of the gorgon Medusa, a goddess who could kill with her gaze.
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RELATED WORKS

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CITATIONS

	Cleveland Museum of Art, “Recent Acquisitions to the Cleveland Museum of Art Collection,” August 26, 1994, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives.
	page number: 	
	url:		https://archive.org/details/cmapr3900/page/n1

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IMAGES

web:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1994.8/1994.8_web.jpg
print:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1994.8/1994.8_print.jpg
full:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1994.8/1994.8_full.tif