Canova, ANTONIO, the founder of a new school of Italian sculpture, was born November 1, 1757, at Possagno, a village in the Venetian territory. Having displayed in boyhood great talent in modelling, the artist gained the patronage of Giovanni Falieri, a Venetian senator, by whom he was sent to work under a sculptor at Bassano. His first imaginative performance, 'Eurydice,' half the size of life, was executed in his seventeenth year. After this he went to Venice, where his study of art properly began. In 1779 Falieri sent him to Rome, with an introduction to Cav. Zuliano, the Venetian ambassador, and one of the most illustrious patrons of art at this time in Italy. In Rome the first result of his studies appeared in the statue of 'Apollo,' which must be regarded as his earliest effort in ideal sculpture; but a far greater progress toward the pure style of the antique was evident in his next work, 'Theseus with the Minotaur,' executed in 1782. Nevertheless, Canova did not rigorously adhere to the severe simplicity of the antique, but endeavoured to infuse into his works a peculiar grace and loveliness of his own, such as characterised his group of 'Cupid and Psyche,' which was produced soon after he had completed, in 1787, the monument of Pope Clement XIV. This is apparent even in the colossal monument of Clement XIII. (erected in St Peter's, 1792); though this work, on the whole, is a magnificent effort of genius, simple in style, and with nothing overwrought in the figures. The most important of his monuments is the tomb of the Archduchess Christina of Austria, in the church of the Augustines in Vienna. Among his other works may be noticed a 'Winged Cupid;' 'Venus and Adonis;' a 'Psyche holding a Butterfly;' 'Penitent Magdalen,' in life-size; 'Hercules hurling Lichas from the Rock,' a colossal work, but not free from affectation; 'Creugas and Damoxenos' (two pugilists); 'Palamedes;' and 'Perseus with the head of the Medusa,' a work which, more than all previous efforts, served to raise his fame. In 1802 Canova was appointed by Pope Pius VII. chief curator of all Roman works of art in the Papal States; but in the same year he was called away to Paris, to prepare the model of a colossal statue of Bonaparte.
After the fall of the French empire, Canova in 1815 was employed by the Roman government as ambassador to recover the works of art which had been taken to Paris, and paid a visit to England. On his return to Rome, he was created Marquis of Ischia, with a pension of 3000 scudi. This money he expended in the support of art and artists in Rome. Canova died in Venice, 13th October 1822. The essential characteristic of all his works is sentiment—often verging, however, on sentimentalism, and this also, like his delicacy in details, was accordant with the taste prevalent in his time, and was the chief cause of his popularity, as of his errors. Judged by the sterner principles of antique sculpture, the works of Canova are artificial and deficient in force and realistic character.
During his leisure Canova amused himself with painting, in which he followed the colouring of the Venetian masters. In his private life he was a very amiable and benevolent man. Biographies of Canova have been written by Missirini (4 vols. Prato, 1824), Cicognara (Venice, 1823), Rosini (Pisa, 1825), and D'Este (Flor. 1864). A series of outline engravings, by Henry Moses, from his works, was published in London in 1824, with translations of the descriptions of the Countess Albrizzi and of the memoir by Count Cicognara.