Pegasus Plaza Perseus slew the serpent-haired monster Medusa and Pegasus sprang from her severed head. He stamped the earth with his hoof, creating the Fountain of the Muses. A limestone fountain and winding stream anchor the design of the plaza. The fountain is connected to a natural mineral spring below the Magnolia Building and is the source well for water in the plaza. A series of concentric circles embedded in the pavement radiates from the fountain into the surrounding streets. Scattered throughout the plaza are nine granite boulders taken from Marble Falls carved and dedicated to the nine Muses. A stone dedicated
Perseus with the Head of Medusa was the first to integrate narrative relief into the sculpture of the piazza. As the "Perseus" was installed in the Loggia, it dominated the dimensions of later pedestals of other sculptural works within the Loggia, like Giambologna’s "The Rape of the Sabine". "Perseus" added to the cast of Olympian gods protecting the Medici. Weil-Garris also focuses on the pedestal beneath the sculpture in the round. However, it may not have been Cellini’s original intent, as the relief was still being worked on and installed when the bronze sculpture above had already been revealed. The Medici still dominated the theme of