Italy: Medusa as the shield of Athena. Oil on canvas painting by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (29 September 1571 - 18 July 1610), c. 1597. In Greek mythology Medusa (Greek: Μέδουσα, 'guardian, protectress') was a Gorgon, a chthonic monster, and a daughter of Phorcys and Ceto. Gazing directly upon her would turn onlookers to stone. She was beheaded by the hero Perseus, who thereafter used her head as a weapon until he gave it to the goddess Athena to place on her shield. In classical antiquity the image of the head of Medusa appeared in the evil-averting device known as the Gorgoneion.

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Size: 3369px × 3453px
Photo credit: © Pictures From History / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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