Medusa by Caravaggio - Canvas

This painting is in the Uffizi Museum. It shows the head of Medusa painted on a circular and curved wooden shield. Medusa is a woman described in Greek mythology. With her glance she could turn people who looked at her into stone. Instead of normal hair she has living, venomous snakes on her head. The snakes are watersnakes from the Tiber river as those were the best type of snakes Caravaggio could find nearby. I count at least eight snakes on her head. The blood streams out of her head as she has just been killed by the Greek demigod Perseus. This painting shows the moment that Medusa is looking at the reflective shield that Perseus is holding (which according to the myth actually happened just before she got beheaded). She realizes that her head is separated from her body, but that she is still conscious. You can see this realization by the horror in her eyes. More detailed information about this painting can be found at https://www.tripimprover.com/blog/medusa-by-caravaggio.