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The Museum of Medma and the enigmatic smile of the Mona Lisa — Rosarno
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Art, Theaters and Museums 📍 Rosarno, Italy 282 views

The Museum of Medma and the enigmatic smile of the Mona Lisa

Set up in the vicinity of the archaeological park of the same name, in the locality of Calderazzo, it houses significant finds from the Greek Magna Graecia of the 5th-4th centuries BC. The material set up comes mostly from the excavations carried out at the beginning of the 20th...

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The Museum of Medma and the enigmatic smile of the Mona Lisa — Rosarno, Italy.

Location
Rosarno
Type
Art, Theaters and Museums
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About The Museum of Medma and the enigmatic smile of the Mona Lisa

The Museum of Medma and the enigmatic smile of the Mona Lisa - Rosarno | Secret World Trip Planner

Set up in the vicinity of the archaeological park of the same name, in the locality of Calderazzo, it houses significant finds from the Greek Magna Graecia of the 5th-4th centuries BC. The material set up comes mostly from the excavations carried out at the beginning of the 20th century by Paolo Orsi, the German antiquarians Merz and Major and the Bishop of Miletus Filippo Mincione. There is a rich collection of votive objects, mainly dedicated to Persephone, the patron goddess of marriage, Aphrodite and Athena. The technique of working with terracotta (coroplastic), which characterizes the images of female divinities from the head alone, is very widespread. And from the 7th century onwards, the production of the typical medmee statuettes, of medium size, is very rich. There are also numerous statuettes of divinities, models reproducing shields and helmets, reproductions of fruit and vegetables, pinakes, votive paintings brought as gifts by young girls on the eve of their wedding. Among the most significant bronze finds are the phialai, shallow cups used for libations, i.e. offerings of liquids. A significant detail that concerns the terracotta medmee is the ineffable fold of the smile. The statuettes and oinochoe were made with faces characterized by an accentuation of the hair and especially with fleshy and arched lips, accentuated by slight dimples at the corners of the mouth. This technique succeeded in achieving the effect of the enigmatic and mysterious smile that will be reproduced, centuries later, in Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa.

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Frequently Asked Questions

The Museum of Medma is an archaeological museum set up near the archaeological park of Medma in the locality of Calderazzo, housing significant finds from Greek Magna Graecia dating from the 5th-4th centuries BC. The museum displays artifacts that were excavated in the early 20th century by renowned archaeologist Paolo Orsi and other antiquarians, making it a crucial repository of ancient Greek colonial culture.
The medmee statuettes are medium-sized terracotta figures produced from the 7th century onwards that are characterized by an enigmatic and mysterious smile created through careful sculpting of fleshy, arched lips with dimples at the corners of the mouth. This distinctive technique of achieving the smile centuries later inspired Leonardo da Vinci's famous Mona Lisa, making these ancient Greek artifacts historically significant in art history.
The museum houses a rich collection of votive objects primarily dedicated to Persephone (the patron goddess of marriage), Aphrodite, and Athena, including terracotta statuettes of female divinities, bronze phialai (shallow cups used for libations), pinakes (votive paintings), and reproductions of shields, helmets, and everyday items like fruit and vegetables. Many of these items were brought as gifts by young girls on the eve of their wedding as religious offerings.
The significant excavations at Medma were carried out at the beginning of the 20th century by the renowned Italian archaeologist Paolo Orsi, along with German antiquarians Merz and Major, and the Bishop of Miletus Filippo Mincione. Their combined efforts uncovered the majority of the artifacts now displayed in the museum, providing invaluable insights into ancient Greek colonial life.
Coroplastic is the ancient technique of working with terracotta to create figurative art, particularly used in the Museum of Medma to craft images of female divinities characterized by detailed facial features including carefully sculpted hair and expressive lips. This technique was especially prevalent in Medma and became highly developed in producing the distinctive medmee statuettes that exemplify the artistic sophistication of Greek Magna Graecia.

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