Bust of Venus Italica
Datemid-19th century
MediumMarble
Dimensions17 × 13 1/2 × 9 1/2 inches (43.2 × 34.3 × 24.1 cm)
Credit LineGift of Baldwin Kahn and Lorraine Kahn Lubar.
Object number2001.10
On View
Not on viewCollections
CopyrightThe images and text contained on this page are owned by Telfair Museums or used by the Museum with permission from the owners. Unauthorized reproduction, transmission or display of these materials is prohibited with the exception of items deemed “fair use” as defined by U.S. and international copyright laws.Label TextItalian sculptor Antonio Canova created his marble Venus Italica, a full-length, life-size female nude, in 1804. It closely imitated the character of ancient Greek and Roman statues of gods and goddesses, which were prized in that era as archetypes of beauty and symbols of noble character. However, even fragments of such relics were rare, and Canova's neoclassical marbles offered an alternate means of showcasing refined taste. Over the following decades, his workshop repeated the design of the Venus Italica to different scales, including busts like this example, which invites close inspection of the complex carving of young woman's curly locks. Collectors and museums (including Telfair) also commissioned plaster copies of famous ancient works as another means of participating in this vogue for the antique.