On the Sculptural Technique of Antonio Canova and His Plaster Casts
by Colette C. Hemingway

In 1815, Antonio Canova (1757-1822) saw for the first time the Parthenon sculptures in London and praised the Phidian marbles as “true flesh . . . that is beautiful nature.”1 What impressed Canova most was their ideal beauty, sensuality and semblance of true flesh—all qualities that he had aspired to achieve in his own works throughout his life.