FLORENCE, ITALY – The restoration of the famous statue “Perseus with Head of Medusa” by Benvenuto Cellini began this morning in Florence, Italy. The statue was wrapped in a white cloth in its usual position under the Loggia dei Lanzi in Piazza della Signoria.
The recovery operation is linked to the deterioration of the protective resins that protect the surface of the sculpture. The restoration works were to start last week, but the violent storms that have hit over Florence was advised to postpone surgery.
The work is estimated to take approximately three weeks. The last deep cleaning with restoration of the statue was completed in 1998.
Perseus, the legendary founder of Mycenae and of the Perseid dynasty of Danaans, was the first of the heroes of Greek mythology whose exploits in defeating various archaic monsters provided the founding myths of the Twelve Olympians.
The original Benvenuto Cellini’s 1545 bronze sculpture of Perseus with the head of Medusa on a square base with bronze relief panels is located in the Loggia dei Lanzi of the Piazza della Signoria in Florence, Italy.
The second Florentine duke, Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici, commissioned the work with specific political connections to the other sculptural works in the piazza. When the piece was revealed to the public on 27 April 1554, Michelangelo’s David, Bandinelli’s Hercules and Cacus, and Donatello’s Judith and Holofernes were already erected in the piazza.
The subject matter of the work is the mythological story of Perseus beheading Medusa, a hideous woman-faced Gorgon whose hair was turned to snakes and anyone that looked at her was turned to stone. Perseus stands naked except for a sash and winged sandals, triumphant on top of the body of Medusa with her snakey head in his raised hand.
Discover more from Florence Daily News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.