On the left side of the Loggia dei Lanzi, Cellini's "Perseus with the Head of Medusa" has an imposing presence.
The sculpture is a "Mannerist" piece from the mid-16th c. (1545-54) and was commissioned by Cosimo I dei Medici.
the Grand Duke of Florence.

Perseus has just beheaded the mythical Medusa, one of the Gorgons.
Perseus stands on her body, holding her head covered with snakes rather than hair.

The sculpture is made of bronze, and Cellini reports in his biography, that on the day the figure was to be cast,
the weather was inclement, and the bronze wouldn't flow properly,
so Cellini went home and gathered up his pots and pans and threw these pieces into the kiln,
and "Lo"... the molten bronze melted and the figure was perfectly cast,

The figure has stood in this same place on the Loggia dei Lanza in Pza. della Signoria for ca. 450 years.
The sculpture has political and symbolic significance both for the Grand Duke and for the city of Florence.

Cellini made several models for the Perseus which can be seen in the Bargello. (see next image)
The base of the sculpture contains smaller bronze figures on the four sides of the base.
These can be best seen in the Bargello.