Medusa
Head
ca. 1865 (made)
ca. 1865 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is a model for the mask of Medusa forming part of the decoration of a frieze designed by Stevens for Weston Birt House, the country residence of the original donor of this piece, Sir George Holford.
A sculptor, designer and painter, Alfred Stevens (1817/18-1875) rejected contemporary distinctions between fine art and design. From 1850 to 1857 he was chief designer to Hoole & Co., Sheffield, where he produced award-winning designs for metalwork, majolica, terracotta ornaments and chimney-pieces. Perhaps his two greatest works were the decorations for the dining-room at Dorchester House, London (about 1856), for which he made countless drawings inspired by the Italian High Renaissance style, in particular the work of Michelangelo and the monument to the Duke of Wellington for St Paul's Cathedral, London, which was completed after his death. The two allegorical groups from this monument made a lasting impact on the New Sculpture movement.
The influence of the Italian Renaissance is evident in much of Steven's work, and is perhaps best reflected in the Wellington monument.
A sculptor, designer and painter, Alfred Stevens (1817/18-1875) rejected contemporary distinctions between fine art and design. From 1850 to 1857 he was chief designer to Hoole & Co., Sheffield, where he produced award-winning designs for metalwork, majolica, terracotta ornaments and chimney-pieces. Perhaps his two greatest works were the decorations for the dining-room at Dorchester House, London (about 1856), for which he made countless drawings inspired by the Italian High Renaissance style, in particular the work of Michelangelo and the monument to the Duke of Wellington for St Paul's Cathedral, London, which was completed after his death. The two allegorical groups from this monument made a lasting impact on the New Sculpture movement.
The influence of the Italian Renaissance is evident in much of Steven's work, and is perhaps best reflected in the Wellington monument.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Medusa (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Plaster |
| Brief description | Model, plaster, for a mask of a Medusa head for a frieze for Weston Birt House, by Alfred Stevens, England, 1865 |
| Physical description | Medusa head. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Credit line | Transferred from the Tate Gallery |
| Object history | Given to the Tate Gallery by Sir George Holford in 1922. Transferred from the Tate to the V&A in 1975. Plaster cast from a classical Medusa Head in Munich, used in the decoration of a frieze at Weston Birt House, the country house of Sir George Holford. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This is a model for the mask of Medusa forming part of the decoration of a frieze designed by Stevens for Weston Birt House, the country residence of the original donor of this piece, Sir George Holford. A sculptor, designer and painter, Alfred Stevens (1817/18-1875) rejected contemporary distinctions between fine art and design. From 1850 to 1857 he was chief designer to Hoole & Co., Sheffield, where he produced award-winning designs for metalwork, majolica, terracotta ornaments and chimney-pieces. Perhaps his two greatest works were the decorations for the dining-room at Dorchester House, London (about 1856), for which he made countless drawings inspired by the Italian High Renaissance style, in particular the work of Michelangelo and the monument to the Duke of Wellington for St Paul's Cathedral, London, which was completed after his death. The two allegorical groups from this monument made a lasting impact on the New Sculpture movement. The influence of the Italian Renaissance is evident in much of Steven's work, and is perhaps best reflected in the Wellington monument. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | A.17-1975 |
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| Record created | January 14, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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