Running Gorgon Attic black figure neck amphora Greece Circa 520-510 BC Terracotta
This amphora depicts a funny character. Facing the onlooker and sticking out her tongue, this is a Gorgon, a frightening mythological monster with hair made up of snakes. She has the terrifying power to turn people who look at her into stone! Here, she is portrayed in a most peculiar stance. What is she doing, on her bended knees, with her wings open and her hand in the air? Is she coming to greet us? No way—this monstrous figure has no will to be friendly. She is flying – or maybe even fleeing… This is how the painters thought they could express her rapidity.