ANTIQUE DETAILED SHELL CAMEO OF MEDUSA  GORGON, GREEK MYTHOLOGY
 
Presented here, a beautifully detailed shell cameo depicting the side view of Medusa gorgon's head. Medusa is probably the most reknowed Gorgon of the classic/greek mythology.  The goddess Athenea, because of Medusa's fail to keep her vow to remain celibate as her priestess,  turned Medusa into a frightening creature by making her eyes bloodshot and raging and her face haglike. The once lovely hair was morphed into poisonous, dangerous snakes and, by Athena’s curse, anyone she looked upon turned to stone. Her uniqueness and characteristic looks made her  to become a recurrent motif for many artist since ancient ages. Here, we have her masterfully  immortalized by a great artisan over a shell as a cameo, paying especial attention to detail.
 
This beautiful handcrafted work of art is ready to be mounted as a brooch or as a medalion, at owner's preference.
 
MEASURES: 30 x 40mm
 
ESTIMATED AGE: circa 1900-1920
 
GENERAL CONDITIONS: Excellent, no dings, cracks or scratches anywhere, please refer to the pictures.