Until recently, The Head of Medusa in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, was believed to be the primary version on canvas by Rubens, and by far the most notorious picture of all. Another, lesser known painting on panel, in the Moravian Gallery, Brno, was previously considered a copy until it was rehabilitated as the prime version on the basis of visible pentimenti. The Brno painting is indeed the original version and can be dated earlier, circa 1612-1613, whereas the Vienna picture is a workshop copy with retouches by Rubens, primarily in the face. As with other successful compositions, Rubens delivered several versions to meet the demand for a sought after picture. The uniqueness of the composition was apparently not so important and Rubens’s replicas were widely accepted, sometimes considered better.
