Tag: Antonio Canova

The Myth and the Might of Antonio Canova’s Sculptures

In 1820, the preeminent neoclassical sculptor Antonio Canova completed a marble sculpture of George Washington that divided many viewers. Dressed as a Roman emperor, the over life-sized, seated Washington appears middle-aged, relaxed, and confident as he contemplates what he’s written on the tablet he holds. Canova inscribed “To the Great Nation of the United States of…


Rediscovering Antonio Canova’s Lost Dancer

BERLIN—In the solemn silence of the Bode Museum, I can almost hear the music as Antonio Canova’s nearly life-size sculpture titled “Dancing Girl With Cymbals” effortlessly twirls and pivots on one leg before me. She dances with a lightness seen only in flight, raising her hands above her head for drama and balance, while playing…