Artwork Page for Tritoness or Scylla Relief Applique

Details / Information for Tritoness or Scylla Relief Applique

Tritoness or Scylla Relief Applique

late 200s BCE

Greece, Hellenistic period

Medium
bronze with copper inlays
Measurements
Overall: 22.4 x 24.5 x 7.8 cm (8 13/16 x 9 5/8 x 3 1/16 in.)
Credit Line
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund 1985.184
Public Domain
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Location
102C Greek
Print
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Did You Know?

Mythological sea creatures became popular metal vessel decorations around the 2nd-century BCE.

Description

The seaweed garment, finned gills, and webbed ears give this female bust appliqué all the hallmarks of an ocean dweller. She may be a Tritoness, a minor goddess of the sea and the female counterpart to the more common Triton. However, her intense gaze and raised arm clutching perhaps the hilt of a sword suggest she may be Scylla, a sea monster that first appears in Homer’s Odyssey. Without the Tritoness’s fishtail or Scylla’s lower body made of dogs’ heads, it is difficult to differentiate. Certain features are highlighted with a copper inlay such as the lips, eyes, and gills.

Tritoness or Scylla Relief Applique

late 200s BCE

Greece, Hellenistic period

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