Perseus moment of triumph over the fearsome Medusa. Immortalized in marble, this is a 16.5 inch reproduction of the statue of Cellini Perseus holding the head of Medusa stands at Piazza della Signoria near the entrance to the Galleria degli Uffizi in Florence, Italy. Medusa had once been a beautiful maiden, whose hair washer chief glory, but as she dared to vie in beauty with Minerva, the goddess deprived her of her charms and changed her beautiful ringlets into hissing serpents. She became a cruel monster of so frightful an aspect that no living thing could behold her without being turned into stone. All around the cavern where she dwelt might be seen the stony figures of men and beasts which had chanced to catch a glimpse of her and had been petrified with the sight. Minerva and Mercury aided Perseus. From Minerva, Perseus borrowed her shield, and from Mercury the winged shoes and the harpe or crooked sword. After having flown all over the earth Perseus espied in the bright shield the image of Medusa and her two immortal sisters. Flying down carefully he cut at her with his harpe and severed her head. Putting the trophy in his pouch he flew away just as the two immortal sisters were awakened by he hissings of their snaky locks. It's one of art's timeless mysteries that a sculpture as delicate, graceful and elegant as Cellini's "Perseus" can be so beloved despite the stark drama of its subject. The triumph of the Medici family was embodied in his youthful, naked figure who killed the Gorgon Medusa to hold aloft his trophy. Replicated from the museum original in bonded alabaster marble imported from Italy, this piece of sculptural art is a quality work sure to bring pride to any gallery.
