Canova plaster sculpture sells for record €1.2 million at Bonino auction

A plaster group by Antonio Canova, 'Amore e Psiche stanti', sold for €1,228,500 at Bonino auction house in Rome, setting a new world record for a plaster work by the artist. The piece, estimated at €200,000–300,000, came from the liquidated Veneto Banca. Executed under Canova's supervision by assistants Vincenzo Malpieri and Giuseppe Torrenti, the plaster was likely derived from the marble version carved in 1796–1797 and now at the Louvre. The sale more than doubled the previous plaster record (€602,000 for 'Venere e Adone' in 1999) and surpassed a marble dancer sold at Dorotheum in 2019 for €1,148,000. The work is subject to Italian state cultural restrictions limiting export. It will be exhibited at the Musei Civici di Bassano until March 12, 2023, as part of the show 'Io Canova, genio europeo'. The buyer's identity remains undisclosed, but the auction house waived the buyer's premium.