During the Roman era, attachments decorated
with the female heads were extremely popular,
not only for vessels, but also for lamps, beds,
carts, and other household items. For the
Roman elite, mere functionality was not enough,
an object, not matter how utilitarian, should also
be beautiful. An ornament such as this may have
hung along the end of a handle attached to a
vessel. The attachment is decorated with the
stylized head of a woman we can identify as the
legendary mythological creature Medusa. Earlier
on, Medusa was typically represented in a more
frightening, monstrous manner. However,
another more appealing version of this gorgon
developed over time and would have been
equally as recognizable as the fanged, serpent-
haired type to an Ancient Roman. This
attachment clearly depicts the more appealing
type, keeping with its purpose of ornamentation.
- (CK.0177)
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