Medusa is best known for having hair made of snakes and for her ability to turn anyone she looked at to stone - literally to petrify. She was a protective figure in ancient Rome. Her face was emblazoned on armor and mosaics to scare off threats. But in the Victorian period, she represented the ultimate terror: uncontrolled female sexuality, rage, and potential to subvert the patriarchy. A kindred spirit, let's say. The coral carving predates the setting by almost a century.
MATERIALS: 14k gold (tests), steel pin, coral
AGE: c. 1800 carving, c. 1880 fittings
CONDITION: Good - looks like the carving might have been cut or sanded to fit brooch; natural imperfections in the coral create a hole near her mouth
SIZE: 1" x 5/8"