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Medusa painting in Vienna
Another version in Brno

Medusa is a c.1618 painting by the Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens, showing the severed head of Medusa. The snakes in the painting have been attributed to Frans Snyders.[1] Frans Snyders also helped Peter Paul Rubens with his work Prometheus Bound, where he painted the eagle portrayed in it.[2] It is in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. Another version is held in Moravian Gallery in Brno.[3][4] Rubens was not originally attributed to the painting.[1] Medusa was a popular iconographic symbol at the time due to the interest in Greek mythology by numerous Baroque artists such as Rubens and Caravaggio.

History

Creation

Medusa, or sometimes referred to as The Head of Medusa, was created c.1618 using oil on canvas and is 68.5 x 118cm.[5] Rubens enlisted the help of Frans Snyders who worked with him multiple times. Snyders was a nature artist and worked with Rubens to paint animals in his pieces, such as the snakes in Medusa.[5] The snakes portrayed are nonvenomous European grass snakes, except for the two snakes on the right side of her head which are vipers.[5] In Greek mythology, Medusa is portrayed as having venomous snakes for hair.[6] The vipers are shown mating with the female having the male's head in her mouth. Towards the middle of the painting, an amphisbaena is shown. An amphisbaena is a snake-like creature that has two heads, one on each end of its body, and is noted in classical mythology[7].

Attribution

Originally, Medusa was put in the Brno museum on December 26, 1818 as Ein Oehlgemälde das Medusenhaupt vorstellend.[1] This roughly translates into "An oil painting depicting the head of Medusa." Rubens was not attributed to this painting during this time as there was no artist attribution when it was first entered.[1] Brno curator Ernst Rincolini originally attributed this painting to Ruben's student Abraham van Diepenbeeck, with the animals painted by Frans Snyders.[1] Ruben's was not mentioned as being the original painter until 1899 and was officially attributed to the painting in the 1940s due to restorative work where it was confirmed that Rubens created Medusa alongside the help of Frans Snyders.[1]

Reception

Medusa evoked strong reactions due to the imagery presented. Constantijin Huygens visited merchant Nicolaas Sohier's house in 1619 to view Head of the Medusa and stated in his autobiographical account, "There is the compelling painted head of Medusa, wreathed by snakes that spring from her hair. The countenance of the extremely beautiful woman has its grace still preserved, but at the same time evokes the horrors of the fitting beginning of death and the wreath of hideous snakes. The combination is so shrewdly executed that the spectator would be shocked by the sudden confrontation....but at the same time is moved by the lifelikeness and beauty with which the grim subject is rendered."[1] In private collections, the unveiling of the curtain to reveal the painting behind it is also attributed to the shocking effect it had on viewers.[1]

Iconography and Symbolism

Medusa as a Symbol

Medusa was thought to be a apotropaic symbol that would banish and protect from evil.[1] She was thought to be a symbol of evil to ward off evil. [8] Medusa has b

Historical Context

Story of Medusa

The story of Medusa originates from Greek Mythology where Medusa is a Gorgon monster. [6] Medusa was raped in a sacred shrine dedicated to Minerva by Neptune[9]. Minerva turned Medusa's hair into snakes as revenge for the violation of her shrine. [9] Athena in Greece mythology is comparable to Minerva in Roman mythology and Poseidon in Greek mythology is comparable to Neptune in Roman mythology.[9] Medusa was said to turn men into stone if they looked at her.

Interpretation

Other Works Portraying Medusa

Other famous artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Caravaggio portrayed Medusa. Both da Vinci and Caravaggio painted their portrayals of Medusa on shields. Da Vinci's painting of Medusa is lost and did not survive.[10] Cardinal del Monte, who worked closely with the Grand Duke of Tuscany, commissioned Caravaggio to create a painting that symbolized the courageousness of the Grand Duke conquering his opponents. Caravaggio created Head of Medusa, which was the second version that was made. [11] The first version of the painting is in a private collection and the second version is currently in the Uffizi Gallery located in Florence, Italy. [11]Medusa has been portrayed in art for centuries since Ancient Greece, with works being portrayed in various forms such as paintings, sculptures, pottery, and metalwork.[6]Portrayals of Medusa during this time portrayed her with snakes for hair and usually with a gaping mouth and sharp teeth as well as facing the viewer straight on.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Suda, S. (2019). Early Rubens. Prestel.
  2. ^ "Prometheus Bound". philamuseum.org. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
  3. ^ "Brněnská Hlava Medusy je originálním dílem Rubense, potvrdil výzkum". iDNES.cz (in Czech). 2018-11-29. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  4. ^ "TZ: Unikátní srovnání – brněnská i vídeňská Hlava Medusy od Petra Pavla Rubense jsou vystaveny společně - Artalk.cz". Artalk.cz (in Czech). 2018-11-27. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  5. ^ a b c Harris JC. The Head of Medusa: Peter Paul Rubens and Frans Snyders. JAMA Psychiatry. 2014;71(6):614–615. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2013.2735
  6. ^ a b c d Glennon, Authors: Madeleine. "Medusa in Ancient Greek Art | Essay | The Metropolitan Museum of Art | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History". The Met’s Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
  7. ^ "Definition of AMPHISBAENA". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
  8. ^ Glennon, Authors: Madeleine. "Medusa in Ancient Greek Art | Essay | The Metropolitan Museum of Art | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History". The Met’s Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
  9. ^ a b c Macquire, Kelly. "Medusa". World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
  10. ^ Vasari, Giorgio https://archive.today/20121212095815/http://www-class.unl.edu/ahis398b/classmats/vasari.html Life of Leonardo], 1568.
  11. ^ a b "Medusa, 1597 by Caravaggio". www.caravaggio.org. Retrieved 2023-03-29.


Category:Mythological paintings by Peter Paul Rubens Category:1618 paintings Category:Paintings in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum Category:Paintings depicting Greek myths Category:Paintings in the Czech Republic Category:Cultural depictions of Medusa

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