3-037-313 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Double-Sided Relief with Theater Masks, mid-1st century A.D. Additional Info: Preserved is a double-sided relief. Depicted on the front side are masks of Perseus and Andromeda, in three-quarter view, facing each other. The mask of Perseus has wings coming from his long, wavy hair. Drapery hangs down from the mask; a sword and the slightly coiled forepart of a sea monster (ketos) come from the left side and a mask of Medusa from the right. The mask of Andromeda has long wavy hair, parted in the center. Below it is a rocky landscape with a basket of apples. On the reverse in flat relief and in a sunken panel are two satyr masks, in profile, facing each other. The satyr mask on the left is shown with ram's horns, and above, a basket. The satyr mask on the right has the horns of a goat. His mouth is open. The double-sided relief has a crack that runs down the center, and the corner above the mask of Perseus has broken off.