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Medusa

Caravaggio

Size2:3 ratio

Frame

$59Unframed print · made to order

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Giclée-printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper

Ships worldwide in 3–6 business days after production

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free

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About this work

Artist: Caravaggio (1571–1610)
Year: 1597
Medium: Oil on canvas mounted on a poplar shield
Original size: 60 × 55 cm
Collection: Uffizi Gallery, Florence
Movement: Baroque

The severed head of the Gorgon Medusa screams from the convex surface of a round shield, her eyes wide, blood spurting from the neck and a knot of live snakes writhing in place of hair. Caravaggio painted it in Rome in 1597 on canvas stretched over a wooden parade shield, a commission from Cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte as a gift for Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, whose armoury already held a Persian suit of armour it was meant to accompany. The face is thought to be the painter's own, studied in a mirror, so that he could paint the expression of horror from life. In the myth, Perseus used a mirrored shield to kill Medusa without meeting her gaze. The shield has been in Florence since 1598 and is in the Uffizi.

This exhibition-poster edition shows the whole work beneath original typography set in-house. The original is in the public domain.

Details & materials

• Print — original, drawn in-house • Heavyweight matte fine-art paper, giclée printed at 300 DPI • Sizes: 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in; 16×24 and 24×36 also available framed in black or natural wood • Made to order; colours may vary slightly from screen

Shipping & returns

Produced in 2–4 business days, then shipped from the facility nearest you. Delivery is typically 3–6 business days (US/UK/EU) and 5–12 worldwide. Because each print is made to order we don't take change-of-mind returns, but if it arrives damaged or flawed we'll reprint or refund it — no return needed. Full policy →

Is this the whole painting, or a crop?

The whole work, uncropped. The exhibition-poster edition sets the complete image above typography designed in-house.

Is Medusa in the public domain?

Yes. Caravaggio (1571–1610) died more than 70 years ago and the work was published before 1929, so the painting itself is public domain. This print is a reproduction made from a high-resolution scan of the original, which is held by Uffizi Gallery.

What is it printed on?

Heavyweight matte fine-art paper with pigment inks, made to order in 12×18, 16×24 and 24×36 inches; the two larger sizes are also offered framed. Colours are matched to the scan, not brightened.

When was Medusa painted, and in what medium?

Medusa dates from 1597 and was made in oil on canvas mounted on a poplar shield; the original measures 60 × 55 cm.

What size works above a sofa or bed?

For a standard three-seat sofa or a queen bed, 24×36 inches reads as a single statement piece; 16×24 suits a narrower wall or a pairing. The print's proportions follow the original, so a landscape-format painting is wider than it is tall.

About this design

A museum-exhibition poster of Caravaggio's Medusa — Medusa — the severed Gorgon's head painted on a ceremonial shield, mid-scream — shown whole and uncropped beneath gallery typography. Baroque and The Drama of Light, styled as a blockbuster exhibition print. A gallery-style exhibition poster: a celebrated public-domain artwork shown whole and uncropped beneath original exhibition typography set in-house — printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper. Three sizes (12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in); the 16×24 and 24×36 are also offered framed. Part of the Madten Exhibition Posters Collection. — — — Printed to order and shipped by our production partner, Gelato.

Buy with confidence

The Madten promise

Gallery-grade archival giclée. Rich pigment inks on heavyweight fine-art paper (or gallery-wrapped canvas) — built to last, not a poster-shop print.

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free. Every piece is made to order; if it shows up damaged or flawed we remake it, no return needed.

Free worldwide shipping. Made & shipped from the facility nearest you — most orders arrive in ~4–8 business days.

Secure checkout. Payments handled by Stripe; we never see or store your card.

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