The legendary Greek god Perseus is the subject of this elegant half-bust by Ubaldo Gandolfi, a major painter and sculptor from Bologna. The son of Zeus and Danaë, Perseus was the legendary founder of Mycenae and the Perseid dynasty, best remembered as the hero who vanquished the Gorgon Medusa. He is depicted here donning the Helmet of Hades (also known as the Cap of Invisibility), which was gifted to him by Athena to aid him in his quest to defeat the snake-haired Medusa and escape her sister.

Formed from terracotta, the bust is a significant work from this artist who worked primarily as a painter. Because Bologna lacks marble quarries, artists from the region worked in more readily available materials such as clay and terracotta. Giuseppe Mazza and Angelo Pìo, along with Gandolfi himself, excelled in the medium, creating highly detailed works from the moldable material. Other works in terracotta by the artist can be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) and the church of San Giovanni (Monte, Bologna).