Cellini's Perseus and Medusa and the Loggia dei Lanzi : configurations of the body of state /
Corretti, Christine.
Cellini's Perseus and Medusa and the Loggia dei Lanzi : configurations of the body of state / by Christine Corretti. - 1 online resource (xvii, 174 pages) : illustrations. - Art and material culture in Medieval and Renaissance Europe, v. 4 2212-4187 ; . - Art and Material Culture in Medieval and Renaissance Europe 4. European History and Culture E-Books Online, Collection 2015-I, ISBN: 9789004287419. .
Includes bibliographical references (p. 157-172) and index.
Preliminary Material -- 1 The Story of Perseus and Medusa, an Interpretation of Its Meaning, and the Topos of Decapitation -- 2 Cellini’s Perseus and Medusa: The Paradigm of Control -- 3 Renaissance Political Theory and Paradoxes of Power -- 4 The Goddess as Other and Same -- 5 The Sexual Symbolism of the Perseus and Medusa -- 6 The Public Face of Justice -- 7 Classical and Grotesque Polities -- 8 Eleonora di Toledo and the Image of the Mother Goddess -- Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Index.
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Benvenuto Cellini’s Perseus and Medusa , one of Renaissance Italy’s most complex sculptures, is the subject of this study, which proposes that the statue’s androgynous appearance is paradoxical. Symbolizing the male ruler overcoming a female adversary, the Perseus legitimizes patriarchal power; but the physical similarity between Cellini’s characters suggests the hero rose through female agency. Dr. Corretti argues that although not a surrogate for powerful Medici women, Cellini’s Medusa may have reminded viewers that Cosimo I de’ Medici’s power stemmed in part from maternal influence. Drawing upon a vast body of art and literature, Dr. Corretti concludes that Cellini and his contemporaries knew the Gorgon as a version of the Earth Mother, whose image is found in art for Medici women.
9789004296787
10.1163/9789004296787 DOI
2015011594
Cellini, Benvenuto, 1500-1571. Perseus.
Cellini, Benvenuto, 1500-1571.
Perseus (Cellini, Benvenuto)
1421 - 1737
Gorgons (Greek mythology) in art.
Art--Political aspects.
Gorgons (Greek mythology) in art.
Politics and government.
Florence (Italy)--Politics and government--1421-1737.
Italy--Florence.
Criticism, interpretation, etc.
NB623.C3 / A73 2015
730.92
Cellini's Perseus and Medusa and the Loggia dei Lanzi : configurations of the body of state / by Christine Corretti. - 1 online resource (xvii, 174 pages) : illustrations. - Art and material culture in Medieval and Renaissance Europe, v. 4 2212-4187 ; . - Art and Material Culture in Medieval and Renaissance Europe 4. European History and Culture E-Books Online, Collection 2015-I, ISBN: 9789004287419. .
Includes bibliographical references (p. 157-172) and index.
Preliminary Material -- 1 The Story of Perseus and Medusa, an Interpretation of Its Meaning, and the Topos of Decapitation -- 2 Cellini’s Perseus and Medusa: The Paradigm of Control -- 3 Renaissance Political Theory and Paradoxes of Power -- 4 The Goddess as Other and Same -- 5 The Sexual Symbolism of the Perseus and Medusa -- 6 The Public Face of Justice -- 7 Classical and Grotesque Polities -- 8 Eleonora di Toledo and the Image of the Mother Goddess -- Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Index.
Available to subscribing member institutions only.
Benvenuto Cellini’s Perseus and Medusa , one of Renaissance Italy’s most complex sculptures, is the subject of this study, which proposes that the statue’s androgynous appearance is paradoxical. Symbolizing the male ruler overcoming a female adversary, the Perseus legitimizes patriarchal power; but the physical similarity between Cellini’s characters suggests the hero rose through female agency. Dr. Corretti argues that although not a surrogate for powerful Medici women, Cellini’s Medusa may have reminded viewers that Cosimo I de’ Medici’s power stemmed in part from maternal influence. Drawing upon a vast body of art and literature, Dr. Corretti concludes that Cellini and his contemporaries knew the Gorgon as a version of the Earth Mother, whose image is found in art for Medici women.
9789004296787
10.1163/9789004296787 DOI
2015011594
Cellini, Benvenuto, 1500-1571. Perseus.
Cellini, Benvenuto, 1500-1571.
Perseus (Cellini, Benvenuto)
1421 - 1737
Gorgons (Greek mythology) in art.
Art--Political aspects.
Gorgons (Greek mythology) in art.
Politics and government.
Florence (Italy)--Politics and government--1421-1737.
Italy--Florence.
Criticism, interpretation, etc.
NB623.C3 / A73 2015
730.92