Bronze sculpture of Perseus, king of Argo Greek hero on a marble base - Height: 35 cm
Width: 23 cm - Depth: 12 cm
Weight: 10.5 kgs
Perseus, king of Argos, is one of the greatest Greek heroes. Perseus is the son of Danae, daughter of Acrisius king of Argos. The latter, warned by an oracle that his grandson would kill son, his daughter locked in a tower of brass, which does not prevent Zeus to seduce her as a shower of gold. Perseus and born in secret. Revealed to his grandfather by his screams, he's locked in a safe with his mother and thrown into the sea, who are on the island of Seriphos. Both are collected by a fisherman who raises the boy as his son. As an adult, he was entrusted by Polydectes, the king of the island, the mission to kill the Gorgon Medusa, whose hair is made of snakes and whose gaze petrifies those it reaches. Winner thanks to magical weapons delivered by Hermes and Athena, Perseus goes on the way back from Ethiopia where he met the Princess Andromeda, which must be delivered to a sea monster after the rash words of his mother Cassiopeia. Perseus delivers with his magic sword and wife. Back to Seriphos he avenges Polydectes who tried to rape his mother Danae. He then joined his homeland, Argos, qu'Acrisios has fled for fear of the oracle to take refuge in Larissa. Now the king of this city organizes funeral games which Perseus took part. By throwing the disc, he accidentally kills Acrisius, who attends events as a spectator. In deference to his late grandfather, Perseus exchange his kingdom of Argos against that of Tiryns. Legend of Perseus, especially episodes of Medusa and Andromeda, had a large fortune after antiquity. It may have influenced the Christian legends of saints dragon slayers, such as St. George.
The beheading of Medusa by Perseus is not Homer, but it appears from Hesiod's Theogony: Medusa, daughter of Ceto and Phorcys, is one of the three Gorgons to be fatal and to be seduced by Poseidon and is decapitated by Perseus on the shores of Ocean, and blood born the winged horse Pegasus and Chrysaor the golden sword. The Shield of Heracles shows Perseus with the helmet of Hades, pursued by the Gorgons after decapitated Medusa, whose head is enclosed in a gold fringe bag he carries on his back.
© Bronze statue