Collection trésor de Vix - Ecran 3

The grimacing woman depicted on each handle is the gorgon Medusa, a figure from Greek mythology, who changes in stone everyone looking at her.

Medusa is typically portrayed with snakes for hair, curling wildly. However, on this vase, she is illustrated with long braided hair and a curly bang, while her legs take the form of snakes that slither around the krater. Two additional snakes are climbing up her arms. Her tunic features a scale pattern. The expression on her face is both beautiful and terrifying, characterized by a grimace, an outstretched tongue, sharp teeth visible within her mouth, and pronounced folds at the root of her nose.

Each handle portrays a different version of Medusa, as they were crafted using a low-wax technique, which results in breaking the mold at the end of the process, to remove the metal piece.