Sculptpedia Statues, Busts and Sculptures Park sculptures and installations Ancient World & Antiquity Middle Ages & Renaissance Marble & Other Stones Bronze & Other Metals

Perseus and the Gorgon

Perseus and the Gorgon is a sculptural group by French artist Laurent Marqueste, created in several versions between 1875 and 1903. Drawing on neo-Baroque spirit, Mannerist composition, and the antique nude, it shows Perseus preparing to cut off Medusa’s head. Marqueste shaped the work around a serpentine figure typical of Mannerism, taking Benvenuto Cellini’s Perseus with the Head of Medusa as a model and also drawing on François Rude’s The Marseillaise for Medusa’s head. First made in plaster in 1875, it was shown at the 1876 Salon, where Marqueste won a first-class medal. Later versions include a second plaster from 1887 and marble versions from 1890 and 1903.

Perseus and the Gorgon marble sculpture showing Perseus poised to strike Medusa, who lies prone with snakes in her hair and a sword raised.
Perseus and the Gorgon, a marble sculpture depicting Perseus poised above Medusa in a dramatic battle scene.
January 2014 © · CC BY 2.0
Perseus and the Gorgon sculpture showing a nude winged Perseus standing over Medusa with snake-like hair.
Perseus and the Gorgon, with Perseus standing over Medusa in the sculpture.
June 2016 © Daniel Martin · Licence Ouverte
Perseus and the Gorgon sculpture showing a nude Perseus with a winged helmet standing over Medusa.
Perseus and the Gorgon sculpture, with Perseus poised over Medusa in a dramatic pose.
June 2016 © Daniel Martin · Licence Ouverte
Sepia stereoscopic photograph of Perseus and the Gorgon sculpture, showing a nude Perseus with a winged helmet poised over Medusa.
Perseus and the Gorgon by Laurent Marqueste, shown in a sepia stereoscopic photograph.
© Rijksmuseum · CC0
Screaming Medusa detail from Perseus and the Gorgon, with a contorted face, mouth agape, eyes looking upward, and snakes in the hair.
Detail of Perseus and the Gorgon showing the screaming Medusa’s contorted face and writhing snakes.
June 2016 © Daniel Martin · Licence Ouverte

Identification

TitlePerseus and the Gorgon
Original French titlePersée et la Gorgone
Alternative title in ItalianPerseo e la Gorgone
TypeSculptural group

Creator

SculptorLaurent Marqueste
NationalityFrench

Historical context

Date range of creation1875–1903
StyleNeo-Baroque
Artistic influencesMannerism and ancient nude sculpture; Baroque sculpture

Iconography and meaning

Medusa interpretationA beautiful young woman transformed into a horrible Gorgon by Athena after being raped by Poseidon
Function of Athena's shieldIt was used like a mirror to avoid the gaze of the Gorgons
Divine equipment given to PerseusHades's helmet of invisibility, Hermes's winged sandals, and Hermes's harpe; Athena's shield is absent
Mythological contextPerseus is sent by Polydectes to fetch Medusa's head, whose gaze can petrify even after decapitation
Scene depictedPerseus stands over Medusa, grabs her hair, presses her to the ground with his foot, and raises his sword for the killing stroke while Medusa screams in terror
Perseus depictionFully nude except for winged sandals and a winged helmet; muscular, tense, and shown in motion
Model used by the artistBenvenuto Cellini's Perseus with the Head of Medusa
CompositionBuilt around a serpentine figure, typical of Mannerism
Mythological figures depictedPerseus, Medusa, Hermes, Hades
SubjectPerseus preparing to behead Medusa
Additional inspirationFrançois Rude's The Marseillaise for Medusa's head

Physical characteristics

Lyon marble version size and condition1.86 × 1.31 × 1.255 m; the harpe and the sword are missing; base inscribed 'L. MARQUESTE. 1890'
Number of extant versionsThree extant examples and additional bronze reductions
Variants and copiesVersions differ mainly in Perseus's drapery; some bronze reductions were cast at 46 cm height in Ferdinand Barbedienne's workshop

Materials

Materials usedPlaster, bronze, and marble

History and restoration

First version condition after castingThe plaster model was badly damaged by the bronze casting process
Bronze versionBronze cast commissioned in 1877 by the Fine Arts Administration from Thiébaut & Fils; deposited in the former Museum of Fine Arts of Niort; melted down by German troops in 1942
Second plaster versionMade in 1887; deposited at the Musée des Augustins, Toulouse from 1905; size 1.91 × 1.70 × 1.30 m
First versionPlaster model made in 1875 and first shown at the 1876 Salon of Painting and Sculpture, where it received a first-class medal; the French state purchased it after the Salon
Lyon marble version restorationRestored in 2000 by Emmanuel Desroches, who cleaned the sculpture and reattached two wing fragments

Location and ownership

Lyon marble versionMarble version made in 1890; exhibited at the 1890 Salon of the Société des artistes français; purchased by the French state for 18,000 francs; displayed at the Musée du Luxembourg until 4 March 1931, then stored in the Louvre marble depot; deposited in Villeurbanne in 1933; installed in the 1970s at the entrance of the Étienne Gagnaire aquatic center; assigned to the Musée d'Orsay in 1986; transferred to the Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon in 1999; now in the museum's cloister and thematic route of heroic figures
Copenhagen marble versionMarble version made in 1903; now at the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen; height 1.87 m