Caravaggio might also have painted Medusa onto a shield because he had heard a story about how Da Vinci once painted a shield for his father with a realistic array of snakes, lizards and monsters. Another reason ties in with the Greek mythological tale of Medusa, and the reflective shield Perseus used to help him find her without looking her in the eye. One was simply because this was what Da Vinci had done before him, and he was imitating the design of the great Renaissance master. Sadly, Da Vinci’s Medusa is lost, so we will never know exactly how Caravaggio’s version compared to that of his predecessor.Ĭaravaggio Painted Medusa Onto a Shield Caravaggio’s, Medusa, 1597, image courtesy of Uffizi Gallery, FlorenceĬaravaggio painted his Medusa onto a convex wooden shield, and it could still function as a working shield today! He did this for several reasons. The reason for the commission was to rival Leonardo da Vinci’s earlier depiction of Medusa, which the Medici family once also held in their private art collection. The second version, painted in 1597, is the most famous of the two. Both paintings were gifts to the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Ferdinando I de Medici, who presumably had a taste for all things gruesome. Caravaggio W as Commissioned by Cardinal del Monte Caravaggio, Medusa, 1597, image courtesy of Uffizi Gallery, FlorenceĬardinal del Monte commissioned Caravaggio to paint two versions of Medusa.
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