![]() Rubens’ Head of Medusa differs from Caravaggio’s work in terms of both composition and the motif selected. Possibly these experiments by Italian masters prompted Rubens to paint his own work, though it cannot be ruled out that the theme of the painting was assigned by an art patron for his collection. The second was Michelangelo da Caravaggio, who painted a wooden shield “inspiring terror and showing the head of Medusa with hair in the form of snakes.” The first was Leonardo da Vinci, whose picture was in the Medici collection in Florence. But only two artists of that period dared to deal with this subject and place the head of Medusa on round wooden convex shields. In decorative and applied art of 16th century Western Europe, such depictions were disseminated to a certain extent. Rubens was entirely successful in this endeavor.Įver since Antiquity, depictions of the head of Medusa with protruding tongue, exposed teeth and snake-shaped hair were to be seen on soldiers’ shields (bronze and wooden) located at the entrance to buildings as a talisman warding off danger. The depiction of the severed head of Medusa, “entwined by snakes,” was for artists of that period a very handy way to demonstrate their ability to instill fear in the spectator. The canvas of the Head of Medusa from the Kunsthistorisches Museum is perhaps the earliest original treatment of a rare subject in 16th – 17th century Western European art. The exhibition in the Apollo Hall of the Winter Palace presents one work by the celebrated Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640). ![]() Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum From the museum website Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), The head of Medusa, ca. ![]()
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