Theseus and the Minotaur

Neoclassicism

Antonio Canova

Theseus and the Minotaur

1782

Marble, 57 1/4 × 62 1/2 × 36 in. Victoria and Albert Museum, London

A hero carved in the calm, idealised manner of ancient statues, seated on the Minotaur he has killed, club in hand.

Look at

  • The group is a stable pyramid, with the seated figure as the apex and the fallen body as the base.
  • The hero's smooth body stands out against the rougher, pitted rock at the base of the group.
  • The pose is quiet, head lowered and limbs at rest, with none of the twisting of Baroque sculpture.
  • Gavin Hamilton advised Canova to show the moment after the struggle; the Venetian ambassador supplied the marble and left the subject to the sculptor.
  • Sold to Count Fries in 1788; the V&A bought it in 1962.

Image: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain (photographer’s own release, PD-self)

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