The loggia was constructed at the end of the 14C to accommodate the members of the Florentine government (the Signoria) during official ceremonies. It was later used as a guardroom by Cosimo I's lancers. Today it houses Antique and Renaissance statues: notable works include the Rape of the Sabine Women (1583) and Hercules and Nessus both by Giambologna, but the highlight is the impressive statue of Perseus brandishing the head of Medusa, created between 1545 and 1553 by Benvenuto Cellini.