This remarkably expressive group depicts the moment when Greek hero Perseus defeats Medusa, one of the three monstrous gorgons : he seizes her by the snakes on her head, and prepares to cut her throat. This task, reputed to be impossible thanks to Medusa’s power to change anyone who met her gaze to stone, had been set upon him by King Polydectes. He wanted to get rid of Perseus so that he could marry his mother, the beautiful Danae. However, with the help of gifts he had been given by the Gods, including the helm of Hades, which made him invisible, Minerva's shield, and Mercury's sword and winged sandals, Perseus managed – against all odds – to complete his mission.

This work created by Laurent Honoré Marqueste was so successful that several versions were commissioned. In 1903, for example, he delivered a marble copy to great Danish collector Carl Jacobsen, founder of the Carlsberg brewery (Copenhagen, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek). The sculptor's most remarkable achievement successfully captures the movement. The two figures appear unstable. There is no emphasis on a particular angle: the viewer is invited to admire the group from all sides. Unlike the depictions of this subject in art from previous eras, Marqueste decided to show the gorgon gripped by fear, letting out a bloodcurdling howl, while the hero wears an expression of calm determination.