The portrait draws on the myth of Medusa, the snake haired woman whose gaze could turn onlookers to stone.

[3] The four month long restoration included non-destructive examination of the sculpture using infrared, ultraviolet and laser scanning as well as traditional photography.

[4] Medusa was shown at the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow in May, 2011, as part of the "Year of Italy in Russia".

[citation needed] The sculpture was on exhibit in late 2011 and early 2012 at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco.

[6] Media related to Medusa head attributed to Gianlorenzo Bernini (Rome) at Wikimedia Commons