Why is the sphinx considered a guardian figure?

"This makes you think about beauty and especially female beauty as being both enchanting and dangerous."

"This makes you think about beauty and especially female beauty as being both enchanting and dangerous."

Curator Kiki Karaglou on a Greek sphinx that served as a grave marker and was thought to be a guardian of the dead.

Explore this object:
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/248501

Throughout 2013, The Met invited curators from across the Museum to each talk about one artwork that changed the way they see the world. Each episode is interpreted by a Museum photographer.

Photography by Katherine Dahab

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Contributors

Kiki Karoglou
Assistant Curator, Department of Greek and Roman Art

Futuristic sculpture of a fragmented, abstract human form in stone against a neoclassical arch. The tone is dynamic and modern amidst classical architecture.
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Anne Anlin Cheng
May 16
Close-up of a Queen of Clubs playing card with a cut-out section. Behind it, a faded, ghostly face is visible, creating a surreal, mysterious mood.
The artist’s work challenges the social and political context of mass incarceration.
Lisa Sutcliffe
April 28
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