Antonio Canova
A Figure Representing Virtue

ArtistItalian (Venetian), 1757–1822
CultureItalian
Titles
  • A Figure Representing Virtue
  • Model of Virtue Carrying the Urn
Datec. 1798–1800
PlaceVienna, Austria
PlaceVenice, Italy
MediumPlaster
Dimensions18 1/2 × 8 × 7 1/2 in. (47 × 20.3 × 19.1 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by the Agnes Cullen Arnold Endowment Fund
Object number2000.95
Non exposé

Explore Further

Object Type
Description

Antonio Canova was the most influential sculptor of the Neoclassical movement, exceeding all others in international fame and prestige.


He ran a large studio and worked for a galaxy of European notables, including Napoleon of France, Britain's Duke of Wellington, and Catherine the Great of Russia.


 Canova's early work is lively and naturalistic, but after he settled in Rome in 1781 his style became graver and thoroughly imbued with the influence of the antique. His most significant and certainly his most affecting contribution to the art of sculpture are his tombs. This plaster cast of Virtue in mourning is a working model for the magnificent tomb of Archduchess Maria Christina in Vienna. Commissioned in 1798 at the wish of her grieving husband, the tomb with its procession of celestial figures was meant as an expression of her fondly cherished virtues. The handling of this highly finished model suggests the care and attention that Canova paid to the design and construction of the renowned tomb.


 


ProvenancePossibly a gift from Canova to Guidita Pasta; Private collection, England; [Daniel Katz, Ltd., London]; purchased by MFAH, 2000.
Exhibition History"Earth & Fire: Italian Terracotta Sculpture from Donatello to Canova," MFAH, Beck Building, Brown Foundation Gallery, November 18, 2001 to February 3, 2002.

"Neoclassicism: A Taste for the Antique, 1720-1790," The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Brown Foundation Galleries, March 20-May 30, 2011.

"Canova: Sketching in Clay," National Gallery of Art, Washington D. C., June 11–October 9, 2023; The Art Institute of Chicago, November 19, 2023–March 17, 2024. (OL.1477)
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
There is no signature or inscription.

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.

Napoleon I on Horseback
Antoine-Louis Barye
c. 1864–1866
Plaster and iron reinforcements
2000.96
Clytie
George Frederick Watts
c. 1868
Painted plaster
2017.205
Head of a Child (The Jewish Boy)
Medardo Rosso
c. 1892
Wax and plaster
80.147
La Marseillaise
François Rude
1833–1835
Bronzed plaster
2019.176
Bust of the Imperial Prince
Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux
1865
Plaster
2013.245
Le Silence
Auguste Préault
1842–1843
Plaster
2015.281
Virgin and Child
Antonio Susini
c. 1600
Bronze
44.586
Bust of the Infant Saint John the Baptist
Antonio Lombardo
c. 1515–1520
Bronze
44.588
Dr. Charles Smith
1986–2000
Concrete, plaster, metal armature, paint, rope, and yarn
2003.1028
The Sacrifice of Noah
Antonio de Bellis
c. 1645–1650
Oil on canvas
61.63
Virgin and Child
Antonio Vivarini
c. 1440
Tempera and gold leaf on panel
44.575
Dr. Charles Smith
1986–2000
Concrete, plaster, metal armature, and paint
2003.1019