Cellini's Perseus and Medusa and the Loggia Dei Lanzi - Configurations of the Body of State

Benvenuto Cellini's Perseus and Medusa, one of Renaissance Italy's most complex sculptures, is the subject of this study, which proposes that the statue's androgynous appearance is paradoxical. Symbolizing the male ruler overcoming a female adversary, the Perseus legitimizes patriarchal power; but the physical similarity between Cellini's characters suggests the hero rose through female agency. Dr. Corretti argues that although not a surrogate for powerful Medici women, Cellini's Medusa may have reminded viewers that Cosimo I de' Medici's power stemmed in part from maternal influence. Drawing upon a vast body of art and literature, Dr. Corretti concludes that Cellini and his contemporaries knew the Gorgon as a version of the Earth Mother, whose image is found in art for Medici women.

About the author

Christine Corretti, Ph.D. (2011) is a specialist of early modern Italian art and author of a variety of books and articles, including Cellini's Perseus and Medusa and the Loggia dei Lanzi: Configurations of the Body of State (Brill, 2015).

Product details

• Authors: Christine Corretti
• Publisher: Brill
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 22.05.2015
• EAN: 9789004292192
• ISBN: 978-90-04-29219-2
• No. of pages: 192
• Dimensions: 159 mm x 241 mm x 17 mm
• Weight: 431 g
• Series: Art and Material Culture in Me
• Subject: Humanities, art, music > History > Modern era up to 1918