Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Necklace with Medusa Medallion
Necklaces incorporating relief medallions were fashionable in the later Roman Empire. Pendants with heads of the Gorgon Medusa, who turned those who gazed at her into stone, had an apotropaic function, averting evil from their wearers. The use of coins in men's and women's jewelry was widespread by the late empire. While primarily worn to display the owner's wealth, the coins themselves were still valuable as bullion and could be used in the event the owner fell upon hard times.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Khawam Brothers, Cairo [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1929, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 2010 | Bedazzled: 5,000 Years of Jewelry. El Paso Museum of Art, El Paso. |
| 2006-2009 | Bedazzled: 5,000 Years of Jewelry from the Walters Art Museum. Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville; The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota; The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 1979-1980 | Jewelry - Ancient to Modern. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Geographies
Roman Empire (Place of Origin)
Measurements
L: 16 5/16 in. (41.43 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1929
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
57.520