Neoclassicism

Antonio Canova

Perseus with the Head of Medusa

1804–6

Marble, 95 1/2 × 75 1/2 × 40 1/2 in. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

A modern marble loosely based on the Apollo Belvedere, made after Napoleon's troops took the ancient statue to Paris: the antique reinvented, not copied.

Look at

• The figure stands frontal, weight on one leg, the other trailing back, as in the ancient Apollo.
• The arm holding the head rises above the shoulder, a strong line thrust out from the upright body.
• Smooth polished skin against the deeply cut folds of the cloak.

• Pope Pius VII bought the first marble version and set it in the Apollo's empty niche in the Vatican.
• This second version was commissioned by Count Jan and Countess Valeria Tarnowski in 1804.

Image: The Metropolitan Museum of Art Open Access · CC0 (Met Open Access)