"Head of Medusa"

Created by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in 1630

Located in The Capitoline Museum in Rome, Italy 

The Head of Medusa is a unique sculpture made with irregular workings of the marble in contrast with the smooth surface of the face. A rasp could have possibly been used in order to create the smooth surface on Medusa's face. The artist had to have used different chisels on this sculpture in order to create different textures within the sculpture. The artist is making a visual record of the people, place, and event of their time and place. Medusa is shown like she is frozen in time with a petrified look on her face after she had her head cut off. This sculpture depicts the exact moment where her head has been cut off and is a visual record of this exact time. The artist also gives form to the immaterial by having the sculpture show feeling. In the sculptures face we can see that she looks scared or petrified and get a sense of how the scene may have played out in mythology. The sculpture allows us to beware of the presence the mythological being of Medusa had on people during this time period.