Fine Art Poster
From £37
A giclée print on 200gsm matte fine art paper, using a twelve-colour process for accurate, fade-resistant colour. Supplied unframed, delivered flat or rolled.
Medusa - Caravaggio
Regular price
£37.00 GBP
Sale price
£37.00 GBP
Regular price
Archival giclée
Frames arrive ready to hang
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Made to order
Description
A striking Baroque depiction of the severed head of Medusa, painted by Caravaggio on a convex surface to simulate a shield.
Caravaggio painted this work on a convex wooden shield, a choice that mimics the legendary mirror shield used by Perseus to decapitate the Gorgon. The composition focuses on the severed head of Medusa at the moment of her death. Her expression is one of shock, with wide, staring eyes and an open mouth. The snakes that form her hair are rendered with individualised movement, twisting and coiling around her brow.
This painting is a primary example of the artist's use of chiaroscuro. The light source originates from the upper left, casting deep shadows that define the facial features and the volume of the snakes. The background is a flat, olive-green tone, which pushes the figure forward and creates a sense of immediate, visceral presence. The blood dripping from the neck is painted with a stark, realistic quality, adding to the macabre nature of the subject.
Historical accounts suggest that Cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte commissioned this piece as a gift for Grand Duke Ferdinando I de' Medici. It remains one of the most recognisable images from the Italian Baroque period. The technical execution demonstrates the artist's ability to manipulate perspective and light to create a three-dimensional effect on a curved surface. By painting directly onto a shield, Caravaggio transformed a traditional mythological narrative into a physical object, blurring the line between fine art and functional armour. The work captures the precise instant of transition between life and death, a theme that appears frequently in the artist's later career. The lack of a complex background ensures that the viewer's attention remains fixed on the psychological intensity of the Gorgon's final gaze.
Return policy
Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
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We ship worldwide, printing at the production hub nearest to your delivery address. Delivery times and costs vary by destination — you'll see the options available to you at checkout.
Manufacturing
Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Complete The Look
Medusa - Caravaggio
Regular price
From £37.00 GBP
Sale price
From £37.00 GBP
Regular price
Fine Art Poster / Small Square (30x30 cm) / -
Artist Biography
Caravaggio
Caravaggio killed a man in a fight over a tennis match. Or a gambling debt. Or a woman. The sources disagree. What is certain is that Ranuccio Tomassoni died on a Roman street in May 1606, Caravaggio held the sword, and the painter spent the last four years of his life on the run.
Before the killing, he had already transformed European painting. He arrived in Rome from Milan in the early 1590s, hungry and unknown, and within a decade had developed a method of painting from life, using strong directional light against deep shadow, that made the prevailing Mannerist style look theatrical and empty. He used real people as models: prostitutes, street boys, labourers. His saints had dirty feet. The Church commissioned altarpieces and then rejected them for being too vulgar, too real, too much like the people who actually attended church.
The Calling of Saint Matthew, painted for the Contarelli Chapel in San Luigi dei Francesi, is his method at its clearest. The light enters from the upper right like a blade. Matthew sits at a tax collector's table with his companions. Christ points. The scene looks like something you might see through a doorway, which is roughly the viewer's position. Nothing is idealised. The moment is ordinary and sacred simultaneously.
After the killing he fled to Naples, then Malta, then Sicily, then back to Naples. He kept painting. The late works are darker, faster, more desperate. He received a papal pardon and boarded a boat north. He died on a beach in Porto Ercole in July 1610, at thirty-eight. The cause is unknown: fever, infection, possibly lead poisoning from his paints. His influence on Rembrandt, Velazquez, Georges de La Tour, and every painter who has ever used a spotlight is difficult to overstate.
Before the killing, he had already transformed European painting. He arrived in Rome from Milan in the early 1590s, hungry and unknown, and within a decade had developed a method of painting from life, using strong directional light against deep shadow, that made the prevailing Mannerist style look theatrical and empty. He used real people as models: prostitutes, street boys, labourers. His saints had dirty feet. The Church commissioned altarpieces and then rejected them for being too vulgar, too real, too much like the people who actually attended church.
The Calling of Saint Matthew, painted for the Contarelli Chapel in San Luigi dei Francesi, is his method at its clearest. The light enters from the upper right like a blade. Matthew sits at a tax collector's table with his companions. Christ points. The scene looks like something you might see through a doorway, which is roughly the viewer's position. Nothing is idealised. The moment is ordinary and sacred simultaneously.
After the killing he fled to Naples, then Malta, then Sicily, then back to Naples. He kept painting. The late works are darker, faster, more desperate. He received a papal pardon and boarded a boat north. He died on a beach in Porto Ercole in July 1610, at thirty-eight. The cause is unknown: fever, infection, possibly lead poisoning from his paints. His influence on Rembrandt, Velazquez, Georges de La Tour, and every painter who has ever used a spotlight is difficult to overstate.
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Every piece is printed to order. These are the five finishes, and what makes each one different.
Fine Art Framed
From £59
The same fine art print in a solid wood frame with UV-protective acrylic glaze and rigid backing. Five frame colours. Arrives ready to hang.
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