Perseus with the Head of Medusa thumbnail 1
Perseus with the Head of Medusa thumbnail 2
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Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Cast Courts, Room 46b, The Weston Cast Court

Perseus with the Head of Medusa

Statuette
ca. 1545 (sculpted), ca. 1882 (cast)
Artist/Maker
Cellini (Sculptor)
Place of origin
Padua (city) (sculpted)
Berlin (Cast)

Plaster cast, painted plaster, after the original bronze of Perseus with the Head of Medusa, by Benvenuto Cellini in Padua, about 1545 and now in the Museo Nazionale (Bargello), Florence, Italy. Cast in about 1882 in Berlin, Germany.


Object details

Categories
Sculpture
Myths & Legends
Plaster Cast
Object type
Statuette
TitlePerseus with the Head of Medusa (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Plaster cast, painted plaster
Plaster
Casting
Brief description
Plaster cast, painted plaster, after the original bronze of Perseus with the Head of Medusa, by Benvenuto Cellini in Padua, about 1545 and now in the Museo Nazionale (Bargello), Florence, Italy. Cast in about 1882 in Berlin, Germany.
Dimensions
  • Height: 71.5cm
  • At base width: 24.5cm
  • Weight: 4.5kg
weight measured December 2010
Gallery label
Cellini’s elegant figures inspired sculptors in Victorian England. This cast was taken from his model for a great statue of Perseus. The bronze Perseus is considered the artist’s masterpiece. It was commissioned by Cosimo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany, one of the greatest patrons of the Renaissance.(2014)
Object history
Purchased from Neues Museum, Berlin in 1882 for £1 5s
Historical context
This is a model for the large statue of Perseus commissioned in 1545 by Grand Duke Cosimo I of Tuscany (1519-74). The finished statue was installed in the Loggi de 'Lanzi in Florence in September, 1554.
Subjects depicted
Heads (Body Parts)
Perseus
Medusa
Collection
Sculpture Collection
Accession number
REPRO.1882-238

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Record createdSeptember 14, 2006
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O127772/perseus-with-the-head-of-statuette-cellini/
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