Perseus with the Head of Medusa
by Benvenuto Cellini, 1554
Details
- Year
- 1554
- Medium
- Bronze
- Size
- 320 cm (126 in) tall
Benvenuto Cellini cast this monumental bronze between 1545 and 1554 for Duke Cosimo I de' Medici. The sculpture shows Perseus standing triumphant over Medusa's headless body, holding her severed head aloft as blood cascades down. It took nearly a decade to complete and nearly killed Cellini in the casting.
The bronze stands in the Loggia dei Lanzi, an open-air gallery in Florence's Piazza della Signoria. Cellini documented the dramatic casting in his autobiography, describing how he fell ill with fever and nearly lost the sculpture when the furnace failed. He threw his household pewter into the molten bronze to save the pour. The result justified every sacrifice.
Perseus wears winged sandals and cap from Hermes, symbols of his divine assistance. The pedestal features fine bronze reliefs and four smaller figures in niches. Cellini positioned the work to be seen against the sky, Perseus's upraised arm silhouetted dramatically. It remains Florence's most accomplished Mannerist bronze, rivaling even Michelangelo's David nearby.
About Perseus with the Head of Medusa
The original stands under the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence's Piazza della Signoria, outdoors and free to view. It's been there since Benvenuto Cellini unveiled it on April 27, 1554. The original pedestal and four smaller statuettes are in the Museo Nazionale del Bargello nearby.
The bronze figure stands over 3 meters (about 10 feet) tall on its elaborate marble pedestal. Cellini cast it between 1545 and 1554, commissioned by Duke Cosimo I de' Medici. Casting a sculpture this complex in a single bronze pour was extremely difficult and nearly failed. Cellini's autobiography describes the drama in vivid detail.
Perseus holds the severed head of Medusa aloft in his left hand while standing on her headless body. In Greek mythology, Medusa was a Gorgon whose gaze turned people to stone. Perseus used a mirrored shield to avoid eye contact, cut off her head with a sickle, and later used it as a weapon.
Cosimo I placed it in the Loggia dei Lanzi alongside other powerful sculptures as a symbol of Medici authority. Perseus defeating Medusa represented the duke triumphing over his enemies. It faced Michelangelo's David (representing the Republic) and Donatello's Judith, creating a political dialogue in stone about power in Florence.
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