Head of Medusa

Benedetto Pistrucci

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The grim but mesmerizing visage of Medusa, the Gorgon decapitated by Perseus, was a favorite motif in classical antiquity and frequently invoked in later periods. Pistrucci's precision of detail led to his appointment to cut dies for the coinage of the Royal Mint in London. After falling out with the mint, the Roman-born artist returned with undiminished success to his original occupation, cameo carving. He made this gem for the London dentist Samuel Cartwright, whose calling is reflected in Carlo Giuliano's frame incorporating the wings and snakes of Mercury's caduceus, the emblem of the medical profession.

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The fifty thousand objects in the Museum's comprehensive and historically important collection of European sculpture and decorative arts reflect the development of a number of art forms in Western European countries from the early fifteenth through the early twentieth century. The holdings include sculpture in many sizes and media, woodwork and furniture, ceramics and glass, metalwork and jewelry, horological and mathematical instruments, and tapestries and textiles. Ceramics made in Asia for export to European markets and sculpture and decorative arts produced in Latin America during this period are also included among these works.

Metropolitan Museum of Art