Amongst the Italian sculptors of the 18th century, two stand out quite particularly: Antonio Canova (1757-1822) and Nicola Salvi (1697-1751).
Antonio Canova was the son of a poor stonemason; Canova’s father died at an early age, and the boy was raised by his grandfather. This grandfather wanted him to continue the family tradition of stone masonry and sought to persuade him, sometimes using violence to do so.
To draw from a nice anecdote, Canova’s career began in the kitchen of a Venetian senator. There it was believed that while preparing a dinner, he shaped the butter into a winged Venetian lion and brought it to the table. The guests were enthusiastic and called the ten-year-old boy into the dining room, expressing their admiration for his work and showering the abashed little boy with sweets. The hosting senator in any case persuaded the grandfather to offer Antonio an apprenticeship with the sculptor Torretti (1664-1743).
Canova’s first commission consisted of statues of Orpheus and Eurydice (1776), which were to be erected on the steps of his patron’s palace. Before he could begin his work, full of enthusiasm, Antonio searched for a mature model for Eurydice. The grandfather was horrified at the very idea that such a sinner could be found in his village, and deliberated with the local clergyman. He, however, had a somewhat more liberal outlook and made it clear to the grandfather that modelling could be performed with a clear conscience, particularly since there were always two witnesses at the sittings, and on the pedestal the inscription “memento mori” could be clearly seen. The patron was well acquainted with the women in the town and had no difficulty finding a willing model that would make such a sacrifice for the sake of art. The inscription and the witnesses failed, and the chosen model was in fact Canova’s first love. After three years, the work was finished and was welcomed with praise in Venice.
These two statues were followed by the group Daedalus and Icarus. In 1780, he went to Rome, where he turned his attention with great interest to the works of classical art. Well known works from this period are Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss and his bare-knuckled fighters Damoxenes and Creugas. During his stay he started one of his masterpieces: Theseus Conquers the Minotaur (1805-1819). Amongst his admirers was Napoleon, who gave him an important commission for a colossal bust. Canova was made Imperial Sculptor and created portraits of Napoleon’s mother Marie-Louise, his sister Pauline as Venus Victrix (1805-1808) and many other members of the court.
In Vienna, he received the commission to create a monument for the Mausoleum of the Archduchess Marie Christine of Austria (1798-1805). Probably his most famous portrait is the bust of Pope Pius VII (1807). The Pope then consulted him about the title of Marquis of Ischia, whereupon Canova planned an enormous statue, called Religion, for which, due to its size, no site could be found (thus it was then constructed on a smaller scale). Numerous other commissioned works followed, including famous masterpieces such as Venus and Mars (1816-1822). Canova found his final residence in the town of his birth, Possagno. He was regarded as the forerunner of the classical style, who introduced the return to classical ideals and to a more naturalistic interpretation.
Another great sculptor of the 18th century is Nicola Salvi, whose major works include the Fontana di Trevi (1732-1762). Salvi had been trained by Antonio Canevari (1681-1764) and later took over his workshop. The fountain, placed at the rear of the Palazzo Poli, overwhelms the little square where it is located. This monumental work, with its triumphal arch, beautiful fountains and sparkling lights (at night) represents a quintessential example of 18th century Baroque art in Rome. Initiated by Nicola Salvi in 1732, it was not finished until 1762, eleven years after his death, by Giuseppe Pannini. This fountain at the end of the Roman aqueduct Acqua Vergine, which still utilises the original source of water, celebrates water as the giver of life. The main recess illustrates Neptune on his chariot in the form of a shell, and the God of the Ocean is flanked by Abundance and by Salubrity. Over these two pieces of sculpture in the round are two reliefs, one depicting the young girl who discovered the spring and the other a portrait of Roman Emperor Agrippa (63-12 B.C.E.), who ordered the building of the aqueduct that leads to Rome. Amongst Salvi’s other works in Rome are the High Altar in the Church of Sant’Eustachio (1739), the Chapel of San Giovanni Battista in the church of Sant’Antonio dei Portoghesi (1742) and, in cooperation with Vanvitelli, the façade of the Palazzo Chigi-Odescalchi (1745). In the final years of his life, Salvi became so ill with arthritis that he had to be escorted from place to place in a sedan chair.