n. 515 / November 2004

 

Canova is famous for his "mythological" masterpieces much more than for his work in the Holy Arts field. Yet such works are a by no means negligible part of his production and attained almost unanimous contemporary acclaim. They include the tomb of Clemente XIV, in the Roman Basilica of Santi Apostoli, completed between 1783 and 1787. It depicts the Pope enthroned, flanked below by temperance and meekness. It is entirely in Apuan white except for the platform in lumachella stone. The artist travelled specifically to Carrara to select the marbles. He then went to the eternal city and show the model of the tomb to Pio VI. Early in 1784, he began modelling the large figures in clay, thereby introducing an absolute innovation in the Vatican. The effort in this task caused him a physical deformity, the compression of the right-side ribs caused by excessive use of the drill.

 

Soon after, he finished the monument to Clemente XIII, for the Basilica of St. Peter’s. It depicted the Pope kneeling, the statue of religion on the left and the statue of a divinity turning its face to the right. The centre focuses on the virtues of charity and hope. It is also in Apuan marble except for the lions at the base, carved in Tivoli travertine. Another work by Canova in the same site is the cenotaph of the Stuarts, recalling the last members of the British royal house: James III and his two sons Charles III and Henry IX, Duke of York. Stendhal confessed that he spent hours and hours admiring the two genies embellishing the stele.

 

Then came another of his most admired creations, the mausoleum of Maria Cristina of Austria for the Augustinerkirche in Vienna. Again carved in Eseguito in Tuscan statuary, it is embellished with various allegorical figures. These include Pity guiding a young girl and an old blind man, Happiness supporting the medallion surrounded by a snake and another Virtue with the urn of ashes. Below, there is the emblem of the power of the soul with a dying lion next to it, a symbol of physical strength by now lost. The work was commissioned in 1798 by Duke Albert of Saxony to honour his wife. The artist initially sent a drawing with the project for the tomb. Simultaneously, numerous sketches were joined by a scale example that can still be seen today in the Correr Museum. Approval for the project was given on 15 May 1799, accompanied by some indications for modifications. The statuary groups in marble were completed early in 1805 and, 12 June-27 September of the same year, Canova personally travelled to Austria for the installation of the tomb, which was inaugurated in October.

 

Then there is the funerary complex of Vittorio Alfieri, intended for the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence. The marble composition measures 4.80x3.60 metres and was commissioned by Countess d’Albany. The wooden structure was already installed on site at the end of 1806 and the clay models were begun in the following January. In September 1807, a drawing was sent with the finished model. Canova wrote to Quatremère as follows: "I finished the second full-scale model of the monument to Alfieri a few months ago. I attempted to maintain a serious and majestic style, as far as possible, in harmony with the character of the proud work of this great poet". To ensure its installation in the "temple of Italian glories" and thanks to the intercession of the new Grand Duchess Elisa Baiocchi, d’Albany ordered the removal of the ancient tombs of the Cocchi and Nardini families. Installation work began in 1809 and the based was place in November. June 1810 saw the shipment of crates with the marbles statues. Canova in the meantime received a letter from Giuseppe Bossi, who suggested: "Remove every cornice linking with the adjacent altars. Prepare a large niche with measurements you think fit and place your monument inside it. Such detachment will ensure that the work stands out and will avoid architectural conflicts". The inauguration aroused enthusiastic consent, especially for the image of the suffering "patria". One of the few somewhat critical voices was precisely that of Stendhal - one of Canova’s otherwise most fervent admirers.

 

Numerous creations remained in an embryonic stage or were never completed. Mention can be made of the "lament" for Marquis Francesco Berio, in the model museum at Possagno. Much the same can be said for the tomb of the friend of Frank Newton, today in the Civic Museum of Bassano del Grappa. The commission dates back to 1794 and the work was intended for Philadelphia. It is known that the base was intended to be in spotted marble with life-size figures. The project ultimately came to nothing. Special mention can also be made of the tomb for Francesco Pesaro. It was intended for St. Mark’s and was commissioned in 1799 by a society of Veneto nobles. The artist began the project, which was later abandoned after Venice was "given" to France in December 1805. The draft is made up of a sarcophagus flanked by two crouching lions, a small genie with the symbol of the Doges and a lamenting female figure - an allegory of the Serene Republic. The front of the sarcophagus is decorated with the Erinyes, the mythical Greek divinities who wove the tapestry of human life through to its end when the thread of existence was cut by Athropos.

 

Many other projects involved immensely important figures. In Autumn 1790, Girolamo Zulian engaged the neo-classic artist to carve a monument for painter Titian to be installed in the Frari church in Venice. Canova developed various studies until 1795, when the project was abandoned following the death of the patron. Yet these "inventions" were in any case utilised, at least in part, for the personal tomb of the sculptor, installed in 1827 in the Frari Church by friends and followers, Luigi Zandomeneghi in particular. Yet especially, albeit little known, in 1806 Canova worked intensely on a majestic tomb for Horatio Nelson, killed a year beforehand during the famous Battle of Trafalgar. It was a spontaneous gesture, as Canova himself points out in his autobiography. In chalk, wax and terracotta, it comprises a circular plinth supporting a sarcophagus embellished with reliefs. One face has Minerva, Neptune and Mars proffering the hero as a child to Great Britain l. Another face depicts the Admiral crowned by Victory and the third has England, Scotland and Ireland receiving his corpse. The base is surrounded by seated personifications of the continents where Nelson’s fleet entered battle.