Brooch with Head of Medusa

Designer George Hunt (British, 1892-1960)

Place of OriginEngland

Dateabout 1935

DimensionsH: 3 3/4 in. (9.5 cm); W: 3 1/2 in. (8.5 cm)

MediumGold, silver, enamel, citrine, sapphires, pearls, chalcedony, garnets, paste, topaz, and crystal

ClassificationJewelry

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Florence Scott Libbey Bequest in Memory of her Father, Maurice A. Scott

Object number

1992.6

On View

Toledo Museum of Art (2445 Monroe Street), Gallery, 34, Jewelry Gallery

Label TextMade in 1935 for the artist’s sister, this brooch represents the British Crafts Revival movement, which was a continuation of the late-19th century Arts and Crafts movement. George Hunt’s striking design and craftsmanship adheres to the Arts and Crafts movement’s elevation of the hand of the artist over mass production. The brooch is set with the head of Medusa after the ancient Greek marble head, the Medusa Rondanini (440 BCE), so named after its 18th-century owner the Marchese Rondanini. In Greek mythology Medusa was a monstrous figure, whose hair was formed of snakes and whose glance could kill. Here, she is carved from citrine in a more humanized and beautiful rendering than the typically grotesque representation of a monster.Published ReferencesChadour-Sampson, Beatriz, Tadema Gallery London: Jewellery from the 1860s to 1960s, Arnoldsche, 2021, cat. no. 339, repr. (col.) p. 205, p. 423.