Perseus Freeing Andromeda
Perseus Freeing Andromeda or Liberation of Andromeda is a painting by the Italian Renaissance painter Piero di Cosimo, c. executed in 1510 or 1513. It is housed in the Uffizi Gallery of Florence, Italy.
The painting is mentioned in 1568 by Giorgio Vasari, who states that it was commissioned by Filippo Strozzi the Elder, and gifted by Giovanni Battista Strozzi to a member of Cosimo I de' Medici's personnel.
The work shows the mythological hero Perseus killing the monster who had entrapped Andromeda. Piero focused on attention to detail in the background, perhaps inspired by the contemporary Flemish school. Details include the two characters with a turban on the left, the water on the shore, and the fantastic musical instruments.
References to the Medici family also exist, particularly the lopped laurel and Perseus' diamond-tipped shield in the seaweed/coral.
