Lot 500
After Antonio Canova (Italian, 1757-1822), 19th c., "Venus Italica", grey veined marble, unsigned, height 5ft., 8in., width 19in., depth 19in. E7000-9000 Note: In 1802 Antonio Canova received a commission from the Florence authorities to replace the antique statue known as the "Medici Venus" after it had been confiscated by the French from the Uffizi Gallery. The painful loss of the original gave the assignment a patriotic tone, which resulted in the title "Venus Italica" for Canova's statue. Unwilling to produce an exact copy, Canova had to be convinced to accept the commission and in the final result, completed in 1811, he had departed as far away from the original as possible. Adding drapery to partially hide her nudity, Canova also turned the goddess's head, which resulted in a dramatically enhanced expression, compared to the more static original Alarmed by a sound from the left, Venus seems ready to leap away and Canova's contemporaries praised this added element of surprise as if the goddess is startled by an intruder while taking a bath.
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