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Antonio Canova: a Practitioner of Neoclassicism and Napoleon’s Favorite Sculptor Canova specialized in two types of work: grand public monuments for Europe’s leaders and erotic, mythological subjects such as Cupid and Psyche, for the pleasure of private collectors (Stokstad, 952-953).
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Antonio Canova: a Practitioner of Neoclassicism and Napoleon’s Favorite Sculptor Canova specialized in two types of work: grand public monuments for Europe’s leaders and erotic, mythological subjects such as Cupid and Psyche, for the pleasure of private collectors (Stokstad, 952-953).
Antonio Canova Cupid and Psyche1787-1793 marble Was this sculpture created for a public or private setting? How can you tell? Connect it to: DonatelloDavid (front view) c. 1430 bronze
Antonio CanovaNapoleon as Mars the Peacemaker1803-06marble, height 326 cmWellington MuseumApsley House, London Was this sculpture created for a public or private setting?
Antonio CanovaPerseus with the Head of Medusa1804-1806marbleMetropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Antonio CanovaPerseus with the Head of Medusa CaravaggioHead of Medusa1598-1599
Antonio CanovaTheseus and the Centaur1804-19Marble, height 340 cmKunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna Was this sculpture created for a public or private setting?
Centaur and Lapith The Parthenon, metope reliefc. 440’s BCE This sculpture from the Parthenon shows a Centaur rearing triumphantly over a dying human Lapith.
detail: Pauline Borghese as Venus 1804-08 white marble Not a shy woman, Napoleon's sister commissioned this sculpture of herself. She demanded to be represented as the goddess of love. Her husband, Prince Borghese, was the work’s official patron; he kept this sculpture hidden away in their villa in Rome. People were allowed to look at it only by torchlight (see Gardner, 853-854). This sculpture added to Pauline’s already fairly notorious reputation. The fact that everyone knew about the sculpture and few had seen it, only added to the sculpture’s fame. This is a work that represents an idealized vision of the female form, but Canova has also labored hard to represent the accompanying details of the couch and pillows with extraordinary naturalism.