Marble
Antonio Canova (1757-1822)
Born in Possagno, active in Venice and especially Rome, this marble carved in Rome 1804-6
The subject is emblematic of liberation. The mythological hero Perseus, conducted by Minerva, has traveled through the skies wearing winged sandals, a gift of Mercury, to slay the fearsome Gorgon, Medusa. His sword has severed her head, with it's snaky locks, from her body.
Canova, greatest of all Neoclassical sculptors, created Perseus in a direct rivalry with the ancient marble Apollo Belvedere in the Vatican Museum, in his day considered the epitome of Greek style. The Apollo had been carried off by the French in 1796 and taken to the Louvre. In 1797, Pope Pius VII commissioned the Perseus to occupy the Apollo's empty pedestal. The first marble Perseus, like the restituted Apollo Belvedere, is one of the glories of the Vatican. This second marble, displaying countless variations, was commissioned by Count Jan and Countess Valeria Tarnowski for their house in Dzików, Poland.
-Corinne Heeb
I love this sculpture too, Corinne! It was one of the first pieces I remember seeing when I went to the Met as a 9 year old and I still look forward to it each time I go there.
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