Onsite Talk: Canova’s Three Graces and the V&A
Art historian Malcolm Baker discusses Canova's masterpiece and the campaign to save it in the 1990s.
More about the event
Antonio Canova
Antonio Canova (1757 – 1822) is considered the greatest Neoclassical sculptor of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Praised across Europe for his carving skills and the subtlety of his marble surfaces, the Italian sculptor quickly became the most celebrated artist of his day. Canova broke with the Baroque tradition, developing a groundbreaking new aesthetic inspired by classical Antiquity.
The V&A holds two of Canova's most emblematic pieces, 'The Three Graces', jointly owned by National Museums Scotland, and 'Theseus and the Minotaur', which were transported to England before the artist's death in 1822. From the 19th century onwards, his sculpture has continued to inspire artists who have copied and reinterpreted his work in a variety of materials, including bronze, plaster, porcelain and glass. Several of these examples can also be found in our collection.
Collection highlights
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Theseus and the Minotaur, marble group, sculpted by Antonio Canova, 1782, Rome, Italy -
Helen of Troy, marble bust, sculpted by Antonio Canova and workshop, after 1812, Rome, Italy -
Antonio Canova in his studio with Henry Tresham and a plaster model for Cupid and Psyche, pastel, by Hugh Douglas Hamilton, 1788 – 1791, Rome, ItalyV&A South Kensington -
Pauline Borghese, plaster cast, copy made by Factum Arte after Canova, 2018, Madrid, SpainV&A South Kensington -
The Three Graces, marble group, sculpted by Antonio Canova, 1814 – 17, Rome, Italy -
Sleeping Nymph, marble figure, sculpted by Antonio Canova and workshop, about 1821 – 24, Rome, ItalyV&A East Storehouse -
Hercules and a Centaur, bronze group, unknown sculptor after Canova, after 1819, possibly Germany or ItalyV&A South Kensington -
Pauline Borghese, glass figure, copy made by Factum Arte after Canova, 2018, Madrid, SpainV&A South Kensington -
Portrait of an unidentified man, marble relief, signed by Antonio Canova, 1786, Rome, ItalyV&A South Kensington -
The Italic Venus, marble figure, attributed to Giovanni Maria Benzoni after Canova, about 1860, Rome, ItalyV&A South Kensington -
Endymion, biscuit porcelain figure, modelled by J. Thompson after Canova, manufactured by Derby Porcelain factory, about 1825, Derby, EnglandV&A South Kensington -
Pauline Borghese, resin figure, copy made by Factum Arte after Canova, 2018, Madrid, SpainV&A South Kensington
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Header image:
Antonio Canova in his studio with Henry Tresham and a plaster model for Cupid and Psyche, pastel, by Hugh Douglas Hamilton, 1788 – 1791, Rome, Italy. Museum no. E.406-1998. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London