Unknown Artist, Italy, 17th century
, Italian
Title
Shield with Head of Medusa (convex side) and Battle Scenes (concave side)Date17th century
MediumOil on canvas, laid on poplar wood shield
Dimensions
58.5 cm
Credit LineProvenance unknown
Object numberNGI.4337
Label TextThis painted shield is of a type known as a parade shield, produced for display in military and religious pageants in Italy in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In Greek mythology, Medusa was one of three sisters, known as Gorgons, who were cursed with snakes for hair and ferocious faces. According to the myth, anyone who looked directly at the monsters’ faces was turned to stone - a power retained even after the Greek hero Perseus beheaded Medusa. Caravaggio famously painted a similar Medusa shield in c.1598 for his patron Cardinal del Monte.