The Medusa is an oil painting on canvas, mounted on a wooden shield. It is a ceremonial shield, typical of the sixteenth century. Caravaggio painted the Medusa\’s head severed from the body, by Perseus. The realism is observable in the spray of blood and in the representation of serpents, which form the hair of Medusa. The most poignant element is undoubtedly the expression of Medusa, represented while she is screaming. The work is considered an example of Caravaggio\’s great qualities, able to cancel, in his painting, the effect of convexity of the shield.
