{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O123452"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O123452/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2024NV2814/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2024NV2814/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2024NV2814","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2024NV2815","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2024NV2816","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2024NV2817","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2024NV2818","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2024NV2819","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2024NV2820","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2024NV2821","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2024NV2822","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2024NV2823","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2024NV2824","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2024NV2825","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2009CR9724","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O123452/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O123452","accessionNumber":"239-1866","objectType":"Bust","titles":[{"title":"La Gorgone (The Gorgon)","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"The sculptor of this head, Adèle d'Affry, was born in Fribourg, Switzerland, but married Carlo Colonna, Duke of Castiglione, in Rome, and was generally referred to by contemporaries as the Duchesse Colonna. She adopted the male name 'Marcello' to demonstrate her seriousness and to distinguish her works from those of women amateurs. She was largely self-taught. She worked in Paris, Rome and Fribourg and was a friend of the French sculptors Carpeaux and Clésinger.\r\n\r\nThis bust is one of a number of subjects depicting powerful women. While the fearsome head of the Gorgon, or Medusa, had long been a sculptural motif - the V&A for instance has an important small bronze head of Medusa by Cellini - it is here translated into an unprecedently monumental form. While this composition was developed into a full size figure used in 1870 to decorate the Paris Opera, its reception in England was mixed. A South Kensington curator of the 1870s described it as a 'theatrical rendering of an ill-conceived ideal'. A reviewer in the 'Art Journal' of 1st June 1866 described it, after seeing it exhibited in the Royal Academy that year, as ...'a work admirable for spirit, power and firm execution [but] it is to be regretted that a coarsely voluptuous bust taints this noble conception with vulgarity'.","physicalDescription":"Monumental bronze bust of The Gorgon's head.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Marcello","id":"A17495"},"association":{"text":"sculptor","id":"AAT25181"},"note":""},{"name":{"text":"Barbedienne, Ferdinand","id":"A3528"},"association":{"text":"founder","id":"AAT25303"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"bronze","id":"AAT10957"}],"techniques":[{"text":"casting","id":"AAT53104"}],"materialsAndTechniques":"Bronze, cast","categories":[{"text":"Myths & Legends","id":"THES49005"},{"text":"Portraits","id":"THES48906"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"SCP","id":"THES48600"},"images":["2024NV2814","2024NV2815","2024NV2816","2024NV2817","2024NV2818","2024NV2819","2024NV2820","2024NV2821","2024NV2822","2024NV2823","2024NV2824","2024NV2825","2009CR9724"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"21A","id":"THES49844"},"free":"","case":"NEPillar","shelf":"EXP","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"Bust","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Paris","id":"x29068"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"ca. 1865","earliest":"1860-01-01","latest":"1869-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"107","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"68","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Depth","value":"41","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"28.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"Base of sculpture","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Depth","value":"29","unit":"cm","qualifier":"Base of sculpture","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Height","value":"6","unit":"cm","qualifier":"Base of sculpture","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Weight","value":"70","unit":"kg","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"Marcello produced multiple versions of 'La Gorgone', of which at least four marble and 3 bronze variations are extant. This version in bronze was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1866 under the artist's aristocratic title (Duchess of Castiglione Colonna). The South Kensington Museum purchased the sculpture in May 1866, only weeks after it was unveiled at the Royal Academy. A marble version of this bust was first exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1865.\n\nThis bust is one of a number of powerful women depicted by Marcello. While the fearsome gorgon's head had long been a sculptural motif, it is here translated into an unprecedently monumental form. A South Kensington curator of the 1870s described it as a 'theatrical rendering of an ill-conceived ideal'.","historicalContext":"A friend of Carpeaux, 'Marcello' adopted her male name to demonstrate her seriousness and to distinguish her works from those of women amateurs.","briefDescription":"Bust, bronze, of a gorgon's head, by Marcello (Duchessa Castiglione Colonna), Paris, ca. 1865","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Inventory of Art Objects acquired in the Year 1866. <font -u>Inventory of the Objects in the Art Division of the Museum at South Kensington, arranged According to the Dates of their Acquisition. Vol. 1.</font> London : Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O., 1868, p. 4"},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Graves, Algernon. <font -u>The Royal Academy of Arts: a Complete Dictionary of Contributors and Their Work.</font> London, 1905, II. p. 118"},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"<font -u>Reports on the Paris Universal Exhibition, 1867.</font> London, 1868, II. p. 507."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Bessis, Henriette. Marcello, or la Duchesse Colonna. <font -u>Bulletin de la Societe de l'Historie de l'Art Français.</font> Paris, 1967, pp. 153-159"},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Avery, Charles. <u>From David d'Angers to Rodin</u> in <font -u>Connoisseur.</font> 179, 1972, pp. 231-239"},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Review of Royal Academy Exhibition 1866. <font -u>Art Journal.</font> 1 June, 1866, V. pp. 171-172"}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[{"text":"Gorgon","id":"N395"}],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"'American and European Art and Design 1800-1900'\r\n\r\nA friend of Carpeaux, 'Marcello' adopted her male name to demonstrate her seriousness and to distinguish her works from those of women amateurs. This bust is one of a number of subjects depicting powerful women. While the fearsome gorgon's head had long been a sculptural motif, it is here translated into an unprecedently monumental form. Although this composition was developed into a full size figure used in 1870 to decorate the Paris Opera, a South Kensington curator of the 1870s described it as a 'theatrical rendering of an ill-conceived ideal'.","date":{"text":"1987-2006","earliest":"1987-01-01","latest":"2006-12-31"}}],"partNumbers":["239-1866"],"accessionNumberNum":"239","accessionNumberPrefix":"","accessionYear":1866,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":["2019LW1718"],"recordModificationDate":"2025-08-06","recordCreationDate":"2006-04-28","availableToBook":false}}