| Description : Antonio Canova (1757‐1822) was an Italian sculptor who
became the most important representative of Italian Classicism. In 1770 he began a two‐year sculpture apprenticeship
and then studied at the 'Accademia di belle arti di Venezia' (Venice Academy of Fine Arts). In 1775 Canova became an
independent sculptor in Venice; from 1781 to 1797 he worked in Rome. His fame led to commissions from France, England,
Russia, Austria and Holland. Between 1803 and 1809 he made sculptures for Napoleon and his family. Between 1796 and 1817
Canova created four versions of statues of Hebe, the Greek goddess of youth. They are now in the National Gallery in Berlin,
the Hermitage in St Petersburg, Chatsworth House (Derbyshire, England) and the San Domenico Museum in Forli (Italy). The
statue from Forli served as a motif for the coin designer Antonio Vecchio. The Hebe sculpture, made of marble and
wearing a bronze headband like a necklace, holds a hydria, a pouring vessel, and a bronze goblet in her hands, handing
nectar to the gods as cupbearer. The Hebe sculptures, which were initially heavily criticised because of Canova's decision
to combine the marble with bronze details and, in the case of the first two works, to give the bare white marble a pink
patina, are today among the top works of neoclassicism. On the left, "CANOVA" is written in the shape of an arch as the
occasion of issue, in the centre "1822" is the year of the sculptor's death and "2022" is the year of issue. On the right,
the country of issue "SAN MARINO" is indicated in the form of an arc, and to the left of it the "R" the mint mark of the
Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome. The designer's signet "AV." is visible at the bottom
left. |
