Head of Medusa
A sculpted head of Medusa, its face calm and slightly parted-lipped, with snakes coiled through the curls and small wings at the temples. Smooth, pale modelling of the features contrasts with the textured hair and serpents. The head rises from a plain base against a dim grey ground, lit from the front.
Look closer: A small snake coils around the base of the neck at the lower edge of the head.
- Artist
- Antonio Canova
- Date
- 1806–7
- Medium
- Plaster cast, with modern metal rod
- Source
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Size
- 3999 × 4000 px
Public domain · The Metropolitan Museum of Art releases this image under CC0 (latest date 1807).
Rights checked 2026-11-05 · tier A · as stated by the source: CC0 (The Met Open Access, isPublicDomain=true)
Rights checked 2026-11-05 · tier A · as stated by the source: CC0 (The Met Open Access, isPublicDomain=true)
Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fletcher Fund, 1967