Perseus by Antonio Canova in the Belvedere Courtyard in the Vatican Museum, 1995

Antonio Canova (November 1, 1757 - October 13, 1822) was a Venetian sculptor who became famous for his marble sculptures that delicately rendered nude flesh. The epitome of the neoclassical sculptor, his work marked a return to classical refinement after the theatrical excesses of Baroque art.

Among Canova's heroic compositions, his Perseus with the Head of Medusa appeared soon after his return from Germany. The moment of representation is when the hero, flushed with conquest, displays the head of the "snaky Gorgon," whilst the right hand grasps a sword of singular device. By a public decree, this fine work was placed in one of the stanze of the Vatican hitherto reserved for the most precious works of antiquity.

Text from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Canova