Glass appliqué with Medusa

This small, circular glass object features the relief face of Medusa rendered in a translucent, amber-toned glass with white-frosted highlights. The face is presented frontally with a wide, rounded chin, a broad nose, and a clearly defined mouth from which a triangular tongue protrudes downward, a common feature of the apotropaic Gorgoneion. The hair is depicted as undulating, stylized locks that frame the face, and the eyes are deeply set within a simplified, somewhat flattened physiognomy.

This object serves as a Gorgoneion, an apotropaic amulet intended to ward off evil and protect the wearer or the space it adorned. It connects to the classical tradition of Medusa as a powerful symbol of terror and protection, widely utilized in the Roman world for its prophylactic efficacy.