Medusa
The Medusa on Versace jewellery, buttons and hardware is a portrait of a specific sculpture: the Medusa Rondanini, an over-life-size marble head now in the Glyptothek in Munich. Versace adopted it as the house emblem in 1993, set in a round frame like an ancient coin.
Definition
In Greek myth, Medusa was one of the Gorgons. Her head, the gorgoneion, appeared on the aegis of Athena as a grotesque face meant to ward off harm. The Medusa Rondanini is different: a more humanised and beautiful face, regarded as the best late Hellenistic or Augustan Roman marble copy of the head of Medusa, and perhaps a copy of a fifth-century BC work by a sculptor of the age of Phidias.
Origin
The marble takes its name from the Palazzo Rondanini on the Via del Corso in Rome, where it was once displayed. Goethe brought it to the attention of art historians in 1786, struck by what he called its "unspeakable anguished stare of death", and it was later bought from the heirs of the marchese Rondanini by Ludwig I of Bavaria, during his Grand Tour as a prince, which is how it came to Munich.
Versace's use of it belongs to a longer classical thread. Gianni Versace was born in 1946 in Reggio Calabria, in the old Magna Graecia, the Greek-settled south of Italy, and the house's emblem is inspired by the figure from Greek myth. The first house logo, of 1980, was lettering designed by Mario Craighero. From 1993 the Medusa head became the emblem, framed in a ridged circle like a coin or shield. A restyling of 2008 lightened the head, and in 2016 the house returned to the 1990s Medusa with softer features.
The emblem has also travelled through collaboration. In 2018, Ronnie Fieg's Kith and Donatella Versace released a collection with a modified Medusa carrying the word KITH across its eyes. In our reading, that is the measure of a strong emblem: a partner can alter it and it still reads as Versace at once.
Key facts
| Sculpture | Medusa Rondanini, marble, Glyptothek, Munich |
|---|---|
| Date of the marble | Late Hellenistic or Augustan Roman copy, perhaps after a fifth-century BC original |
| Versace emblem | From 1993, in a coin-like frame |
| Restylings | 2008 (lightened); 2016 (return to the 1990s head) |
| Companion motif | The Greek key border, or greca |
How to identify it
- The face. Compare the face with the period: the 1990s head, the lighter 2008 head, or the 2016 return with softer features.
- The frame. The emblem is usually framed in a ridged circle like a coin; the Greek key often runs around it or along clasps and bezels.
- The signature. In our handling, genuine jewellery carries a signed clasp or a Medusa plate, and the relief of the face is crisp rather than soft.
- The material. Much of the Versace jewellery we handle is gold-tone base metal; precious-metal pieces are marked as such.
Where it appears in the collection
The coin-framed Medusa is everywhere in the house's Versace holdings. A 1990s Medusa coin link necklace in gold tone, with its original box, and a 1990s Medusa medallion bracelet with signed clasp show the jewellery; black leather gloves with Medusa buttons show it as hardware. The prints, labels and lines are read in our guide to Versace silks and the Medusa, the watches in our guide to Versace watches, and every piece sits on our Versace shelf.
Related entries
- Orb: another house emblem drawn from history.
- Condition ranks: how plating wear is graded.
- Costume jewellery: the shelf for plated jewellery from every house.
Sources
- Medusa Rondanini, encyclopaedia entry, for the marble, its date, Goethe and Ludwig I. wikipedia.org
- Museo del Marchio Italiano, "Versace", history of the house's logos. museodelmarchioitaliano.it
- Versace, encyclopaedia entry, for the Magna Graecia inspiration. wikipedia.org
Last reviewed 14 November 2026. The Japonista Curation and Concierge Team, Tokyo, Japan.