Ludovisi Medusa or Fury

myminifactory

This statue has been seen as a Sleeping Fury at some points and a Medusa at others. In the Cesi Collection, it was identified as a water nymph and placed on a cushion made of marble. When it entered the Ludovisi Collection, the left side of its face was cut horizontally to make the piece more stable. The head is now believed to be a Roman copy from the 3rd century of a Hellenistic work, possibly a wounded Amazon. This deep relief shows a woman with wild hair in profile who has her eyes closed. However, is she sleeping or dead? Some thought it was a fragment of a giant who died on the Great Altar of Zeus at Pergamon. But geological analysis has now proven this to be impossible.