Antonio Canova

Antonio Canova – His great talent was visible from early on

Antonio Canova was born on 1 November 1757 in Possagno. His father had already worked as a stonemason, and after his father's early death and his mother's remarriage, Canova was placed at the age of three in the care of his grandfather Pasino Canova, who owned a quarry and was considered a veritable sculptor in the Baroque style. He taught his grandson the art of sculpture, and two small marble shrines created by Antonio Canova at the age of nine have been preserved. The recognisable artistic talent of the young Antonio ensured that he was sent to Venice as an apprentice to the sculptor Giuseppe Bernardi. After Bernardi's death, his nephew Giovanni Ferrari, also a sculptor, took over Antonio Canova's training until he was able to begin his studies at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia, during which he won prizes and distinctions. When Senator Giovanni Falier ordered two statues of Orpheus and Eurydice from Canova for the garden of his villa, the outstanding execution of this commission brought the young artist great popularity among the Venetian elite.

The rebirth of antique art

Antonio Canova received a scholarship from the Venetian Senate for his merits, which provided him with a secure income for three years and enabled him to travel to Rome, where he stayed as a guest of the Venetian ambassador Girolamo Zulian. In Rome, he studied the work of Michelangelo and created the work Theseus and the Minotaur for his host. The first viewers were convinced that they were looking at a copy of an antique original and reacted with amazement when they learnt that it was a contemporary work. Antonio Canova had thus opened the door to Classicism. Other prestigious projects in the following years included Canova's cenotaphs for Popes Clement XIV in the Basilica of Santi Apostoli and Clement XIII in St Peter's Basilica. The artist showed great skill in harmonising the design of his tombs with the existing monuments in the old Baroque style. Despite his sensitivity for older works of art, he showed a marked aversion to any kind of restoration commission, only occasionally making an exception for his friend and patron Zulian.

The most famous artist in Europe

At the beginning of the 19th century, Antonio Canova was the most famous artist in Europe. He counted the greats of his time amongst his clients and patrons, including Napoleon Bonaparte, for whom he produced many works, the most famous of which is a depiction of Napoleon as Mars the Peacemaker. After the fall of Napoleon, Canova became chief custodian of the Vatican's art treasures and was responsible for the return of the art treasures looted by Napoleon, a feat for which he was celebrated throughout Italy. In 1820, he created a statue of George Washington for the US state of North Carolina, using a marble bust by Giuseppe Ceracchi as a model. The statue was destroyed in a fire in 1831, but was preserved as a plaster copy. Alongside his own work, Canova also taught famous artists such as Peter Kaufmann and Franz Pettrich.

Antonio Canova died in Venice on 13 October 1822.