GORGONEION - screen printed backpatch
The Gorgon Medusa is one of the most iconic figures of Greek mythology and a popular subject in the arts of many many centuries. As one of the Gorgons – children of the sea deities Phorcys and Ceto – Medusa had hair of living venomous snakes and the ability to turn her gazers into stone. While nowadays she is best known as a very anthropomorphic, often even quite decent looking female that incorporates the popular idea of a beautiful, yet deadly woman, the first depictions of her in archaic Greece, that date back to the 8th century BC, show her as a monstrous being with long wild boar tusks in an awfully big mouth and with a frightening glance. The Gorgoneion, which is the ancient term for the severed head of the Gorgon Medusa, was often found placed on buildings or precious objects where it was used as “apotropaion” that was able to protect the objects/buildings and their owners with its deadly glance. Amongst the owners of these kinds of Apotropaions were the Gods Athene and Zeus, who wore a Gorgoneion to protect them from any harm. This illustration of the Gorgoneion is inspired by the earliest Greek and Etruscan depictions. The corner ornaments are borrowed from pottery of the geometric period while the swords, that refer to Perseus, who was the one to decapitate the Gorgon, have the typical shape of the short swords used in ancient Greece.
ca. 32 x 32 cm / ca. 12,6 x 12,6 inches. This patch is designed by myself and screen printed by my partner in our home. Each patch is printed and cut individually by hand. The colours I use are eco friendly water based screen printing inks, the fabric is black canvas that I sourced from a small local fabric store.
IMPORTANT INFO: After they're sewn on the patches are machine-washable at 40°C. To avoid fraying please make sure to fold the edge inward with an iron prior to sewing it on and use stitches that go around the edge (like buttonhole stitches) rather than stitching parallel to the edge.
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