Medusa

This is a model for the mask of Medusa forming part of the decoration of a frieze designed by Stevens for Weston Birt House, the country residence of the original donor of this piece, Sir George Holford.

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A sculptor, designer and painter, Alfred Stevens (1817/18-1875) rejected contemporary distinctions between fine art and design. From 1850 to 1857 he was chief designer to Hoole & Co., Sheffield, where he produced award-winning designs for metalwork, majolica, terracotta ornaments and chimney-pieces. Perhaps his two greatest works were the decorations for the dining-room at Dorchester House, London (about 1856), for which he made countless drawings inspired by the Italian High Renaissance style, in particular the work of Michelangelo and the monument to the Duke of Wellington for St Paul's Cathedral, London, which was completed after his death. The two allegorical groups from this monument made a lasting impact on the New Sculpture movement.

The influence of the Italian Renaissance is evident in much of Steven's work, and is perhaps best reflected in the Wellington monument.