12 Greek Myths That Inspired Neoclassical Sculptor Antonio Canova
TheCollector explores 12 Greek myths that inspired Antonio Canova (1757–1822), the Neoclassical sculptor from Possagno, Italy. Born into a family of stonecutters, Canova apprenticed under Giuseppe Bernardi in Venice and later opened workshops in Venice and Rome. His patrons included Napoleon Bonaparte, Josephine de Beauharnais, Pope Clement XIII, Russian Prince Nikolai Yusupov, and Colonel John Campbell. The article details sculptures such as Orpheus and Eurydice (1776, for Senator Giovanni Falier), Theseus Defeating the Centaur (1819, commissioned by the Napoleonic Italian Republic, later acquired by Emperor Francis I of Austria), Theseus and the Minotaur (1783, for Ambassador Girolamo Zulian), Daedalus and Icarus (1779, for Procurator Pietro Vettor Pisani), Paris (1812, for Josephine de Beauharnais), Venus Victrix (1808, for Camillo Borghese, with Pauline Bonaparte as model), Apollo Crowning Himself (1781–82, for Prince Don Abbondio Rezzonico), Adonis and Venus (1794, for Marquis Francesco Berio), Hercules and Lichas (1815, for Prince Onorato Gaetani), Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss (1793, for Colonel John Campbell), Perseus with the Head of Medusa (1800–1801, commissioned by Onorato Duveyriez, purchased by Pope Pius VII), and Sleeping Endymion (1822, for William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire). Canova drew heavily on Ovid's Metamorphoses and other classical sources, embodying the Neoclassical ideal of Greek antiquity.
Key facts
- Antonio Canova (1757–1822) was a Neoclassical sculptor from Possagno, Italy.
- His patrons included Napoleon Bonaparte, Josephine de Beauharnais, Pope Clement XIII, and others.
- Orpheus and Eurydice (1776) was commissioned by Senator Giovanni Falier.
- Theseus Defeating the Centaur (1819) was commissioned by the Napoleonic Italian Republic and later acquired by Emperor Francis I of Austria.
- Theseus and the Minotaur (1783) was commissioned by Venetian Ambassador Girolamo Zulian.
- Daedalus and Icarus (1779) was commissioned by Procurator Pietro Vettor Pisani.
- Paris (1812) was completed for Josephine de Beauharnais.
- Venus Victrix (1808) featured Pauline Bonaparte as Venus, commissioned by Camillo Borghese.
- Apollo Crowning Himself (1781–82) was commissioned by Prince Don Abbondio Rezzonico.
- Adonis and Venus (1794) was commissioned by Marquis Francesco Berio.
- Hercules and Lichas (1815) was commissioned by Prince Onorato Gaetani.
- Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss (1793) was commissioned by Colonel John Campbell.
- Perseus with the Head of Medusa (1800–1801) was commissioned by Onorato Duveyriez and purchased by Pope Pius VII.
- Sleeping Endymion (1822) was commissioned by William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire.
- Canova's work was heavily inspired by Ovid's Metamorphoses and other classical texts.
Entities
Artists
- Antonio Canova
- Johann Joachim Winckelmann
- Jacques-Louis David
- Giuseppe Bernardi
- Pasino Canova
- Pietro Canova
- Henri Grevedon
- Filippo Pedrini
- Louis Desplaces
- Pietro Bettelini
- Raphael Morghen
- Franz Xaver Wagenschön
- Angelo Bertini
- Giovanni Folo
- Domenico Marchetti
Institutions
- TheCollector
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Rijksmuseum
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Google Arts and Culture
- National Gallery of Art
- Louvre
- La Civilta Cattolica
Locations
- Possagno
- Italy
- Pagnano d'Asolo
- Venice
- Rome
- Pompeii
- Herculaneum
- Crete
- Sparta
- Athens
- Euboean waters
- River Euenus
- River Styx
- Taenarus
- Underworld
- Avernus
- Paris
- New York
- Amsterdam
- Chicago
- Washington