Benvenuto Cellini’s Perseus with the Head of Medusa is a sculpture that is commonly overlooked. In fact, it could be the most regularly overlooked work of art in the world. Regarded by art historians as one of the masterpieces of 16th-century Florentine art, it has all the hallmarks not just of a great work of art, but that of a fantastic and uniquely Florentine story, too.
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Standing in Florence’s Loggia dei Lanzi on the famous Piazza della Signoria in Florence, rich with some of the world’s most famous sculptures by Italian masters, including Michelangelo’s David, Baccio Bandinelli’s Hercules and Cacus, Donatello’s Judith and Holofernes, and Benvenuto Cellini’s Perseus with the Head of Medusa. The latter stands opposite Michelangelo’s David (now a copy, with the original located in the nearby Galleria dell’Accademia), as the millions of selfie-stick wielding tourists snap themselves with the famous crack-shot shepherd, if only they’d turn around and look.
The dark, foreboding, and bloody bronze of the Greek hero Perseus is carrying the severed head of the gorgon Medusa. Once you get to know a little of Cellini, you will realize its position opposite David is paramount. It’s all part of Cellini’s shadow play, and just one example of the multi-layered story of this amazing sculpture and the man who made it.
Benvenuto Cellini (-) was a Florentine goldsmith, sculptor, and author. In his lifetime, he earned a reputation of a troubled, wild, and vain genius. Fun fact is that Cellini died exactly in the same year when Caravaggio was born, another complicated figure in art history with an affinity for alcohol and brawls.
Cellini is considered the greatest goldsmith of his time. Even Michelangelo described him as “the greatest goldsmith of whom we have ever heard.“ For Cellini, though, this was not enough. e wanted to be treated on the same level as Michelangelo.
Although, Cellini was a prolific artist and his genius was clear, what also characterized him were his run-ins with the law. He was repeatedly prosecuted for sodomy, theft, and even murder.
The only extant work of precious metal that can be now attributed to Cellini is the famous Saliera located in Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
In true Mannerist style, Cellini takes us on a trip to ancient Greece and the story of how the hero Perseus, depicted by Cellini with winged sandals from Hermes, satchel gifted by Athena, met and slayed (without directly facing) the infamous gorgon, Medusa. Cellini presents his bronze statue in all of its macabre glory, complete with gushing blood from the severed head he holds, and from the writhing body on which he stands.
Central to the story of the statue is the daring feat and technique Cellini employed, casting the whole sculpture from a single piece of bronze, something rarely done, particularly with a sculpture of such complexity. Though Cellini was competing against monumental works such as that of Michelangelo’s David, he wanted to set himself apart, and win his place in Florentine greatness.
The story goes that as the bronze was being cast in Cellini’s workshop, a now elderly and ill Cellini lay incapacitated on his sickbed. A storm broke, and in the cool of the night, Cellini’s assistants failed to keep on top of things and the metal began to clot as it cooled. Cellini jumped from his near-deathbed, shouting and ordering everything possible to be slung into the fire to raise the heat. Just in time, the heat started to rise, and the sculpture was saved. Cellini likened this revival to raising the dead, not only meaning the saving of the great work of art but also the salvation of Cellini himself.
As with most famous artworks, Perseus with the Head of Medusa is surrounded by politics. It was commissioned by the great Cosimo I de’ Medici in , a great artistic patron and advocate of culture, science, and philosophy. Perseus represented the power of Cosimo I who cut off the “head of the Republic.” All very symbolic and political, celebrating the control of the Medici over the Florentine people through the mythological hero.
Though perhaps the most interesting part is the interplay Cellini mastered between his new statue and those of the great masters surrounding it on Piazza della Signoria. Presented on the square in , Cellini’s masterstroke was Perseus holding up the head of the gorgon, which in mythology turned unfortunate viewers to stone. And who was it that stood opposite, sculpted in stone? The famous David, of course. Cellini’s Medusa had even reduced the greatest sculptor’s work, giving life to his own in bronze.
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Unlike much of Florence’s great masterpieces, tucked away in the manicured halls of the Uffizi or Galleria dell’Accademia, Cellini’s work is out in the open for all to admire. It’s a true privilege and a spine-tingling experience to enter the Piazza della Signoria and explore the statue, revealing itself to you as you walk around it, each angle showing something new, asking a new question of the viewer.
Each time you feel you’ve seen it, its essence once again escapes you, leaving only more questions. To me, it is one of the most enigmatic and greatest works of art of the Renaissance, not only for its endless beauty and intrigue but also because of its truly Florentine story of politics, intrigues, and of course, great beauty.
Cellini’s Perseus is a masterpiece which is rarely afforded the contemplation it deserves, but this complex work is worth a closer look.
By Anna Souter
Perseus holding the head of Medusa (-) by Benvenuto Cellini stands now where it has stood for nearly 500 years, on the Loggia dei Lanzi in the Piazza della Signoria. This late Renaissance masterpiece in the Italian Mannerist style is so expertly crafted that it has been almost untouched by the ravages of time and weather, subject to only one restoration in its long history. Standing as it does in Florence’s central square, this fascinating work, like so much public sculpture, is rarely examined with the concentration and respect afforded to sculptural works in Florence’s many museums.
Appreciating this work fully involves appraising its component parts in two different locations. The first of these is the Bargello Museum, which houses the marble and bronze base which Cellini made for his sculpture. The base weathered the elements less well than the main figure, and was taken to the Bargello for conservation (it has been replaced by a replica in the Piazza della Signoria).
The base
Carved out of marble and inset with niches containing small bronze figures cast in the round, the base was intended by Cellini to be an integral part of the whole work. On close inspection, the details are extraordinary. The bronze figures represent key characters from the story of Perseus – Jupiter, Mercury, Minerva and Danae with Perseus as a child – and are themselves highly accomplished. Cellini was originally a goldsmith by trade and these smaller forms are testament to his skill at working at various scales.
The corners of the base are adorned with goats’ heads, the symbol of Cosimo I de’Medici, who commissioned the work. The base is also carved with four herm figures (whose endearingly small feet are made into a feature of the design) and a series of hideous grotesques. Even the Latin inscriptions are framed by the mouths of grimacing gargoyles, complete with an impossible number of teeth.
Bronze relief – Perseus rescuing Andromeda
Nearby is the original bronze relief which was inset directly into the Loggia dei Lanzi beneath the base of the sculpture (again, a replica is now in place). The relief shows Perseus in one of his other heroic deeds, rescuing the princess Andromeda from a terrifying sea creature. It depicts Perseus wearing Mercury’s winged helmet and sandals, in the same design as on the statue which stands above it. Cellini is employing every method of storytelling in his power, and it also demonstrating his skill as an artist in every format he has available.
Preparatory models
Elsewhere in the same room in the Bargello are two preparatory models of the Perseus, one in wax and one in bronze. Cellini made these models as exercises in composition, but he also created them in order to show them to Cosimo I de’Medici and to convince him to commission the work. The bronze piece has an interesting history, as it was once turned into a small fountain for wine by a later owner. The wax model is fascinating, as it reveals a version of the Perseus with marked differences from the final sculpture. It’s worth trying to keep an image of it in mind when you go to the Piazza della Signoria to look at the final sculpture.
The final sculpture in the Piazza della Signoria
In the wax model, the head and neck of the decapitated Medusa have none of the strangely sensual tangle of blood exhibited by the full-scale version, and Perseus himself reveals a notably different stance. In the model, he stands with his head drawn to the side, almost tucked away under his arm, as if trying his hardest to avoid the gaze of the Medusa’s head which he holds tentatively at arm’s length. In the larger sculpture, Cellini has modified it so that Perseus’ stance appears more triumphal and proud, holding up Medusa’s head in victory. And yet, having seen the wax version, it’s hard not to notice the furrowing of Perseus’ brow and the fact that he looks down at the ground, rather than straight ahead. Cellini’s Perseus is a complex mixture of conquering hero, semi-divine being and real, slightly nervous boy.
Cellini’s craftsmanship and execution are masterful, as is his ability to present a story through his composition. There are two main reasons behind his choice to sculpt this work in bronze. Firstly, no bronze work of this complexity and sophistication had been achieved since antiquity, and Cellini hoped to prove his artistic credentials. Secondly, it is a fascinating choice for his subject matter: a man holding the head of a woman whose gaze turns people to stone. Indeed, looking around the Loggia dei Lanzi and the Piazza della Signoria, the Medusa’s gaze seems to have done just that, and this is no accident. Michelangelo’s marble David, in particular, seems to be looking directly at the Medusa’s face.
Although the Medusa is supposed to be a hideous gorgon, Cellini has instead sculpted a beautiful woman. Her naked body is contorted and curled up in agony as she grasps her foot in her hand. The Medusa is the oppressed, Perseus the oppressor as presses her down with his foot. Her pain elicits our sympathy, as does the human expression on her face. In fact, her facial features closely resemble those of Perseus himself; they have the same pouting lips, straight nose and frowning brow. Perseus’ curly hair also bears a remarkable similarity to the Medusa’s snaky tresses. The victor and the vanquished, perhaps, are not so different. Inevitably, this is in the greater part a question of gender. The Medusa is presented as snake-like, contorted and treacherous, even if she is to be pitied. Perseus is the strong male victor who has defeated her with logic and intelligence, and used her feminine power of petrification to serve his own ends and, eventually, the ends of Cosimo’s Republic of Florence.
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