Many of the art works that you can admire in Florence (Tuscany), are inspired by the Greek myths, the myth of Perseus and the Medusa being one of the most famous: as you certainly know, the Medusa was able to petrify anyone who looked at her and was defeated by Perseus, who, thanks to Minerva’s help, looked at her reflection in a shield and cut off her head. You can see in Florence three examples of art works that this myth has inspired. 

On the Loggia dei Lanzi, Piazza della Signoria, one can admire the famous statue commissioned by Duke Cosimo I de Medici and made in the period 1545 -1547 by Benvenuto Cellini: it represents a triumphant Perseus on top of the body of the Medusa, holding the snaky head in his raised left hand. However you might not know that, if you turn around the statue, you can see the portrait of the artist himself, on the back of the artwork, under Perseus winged helm and his nape. It is said that the statue has a political meaning: the snakes coming from Medusa’s head allude to the frequent citizen’s fights that occurred in the Republic, and that in fact undermined Democracy.

In the Uffizi Museum, you will admire the shield with the head of Medusa by Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi was born in September 1571 in Caravaggio, near Milan and was always known by the name of his hometown da Caravaggio).The art work, commissioned for the Grand Duke Ferdinand I de’ Medici in 1598 and painted on a large shield made of poplar wood, depicts Medusa, at the moment she is killed, with her screaming face, her eyes and mouth wide from fear and surprise. Her hair is made of living snakes, and blood is flowing from her neck.

And we have discovered on Piazza San Marco, on the other side of the Arno River, a mailbox painted with the head of the Medusa: street art!

If one looks at their biographies, both Benvenuto Cellini and Caravaggio were known as violent, touchy and provocative men! As the author of the third painting is anonymous, we don’t know about his temper!

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