Italy’s cities are known for their distinctive sculptures, each with a masterpiece that defines its artistic heritage. In Florence, Michelangelo’s David at the Accademia Gallery is a universally recognized icon of Italian artistry. In Naples, visitors are often directed to the mesmerizing Veiled Christ, an 18th-century marble sculpture by Giuseppe Sanmartino in the Sansevero Chapel, where the artist masterfully rendered the shroud in a way that makes the stone appear almost translucent.
Rome, with its wealth of artistic treasures, presents a more difficult choice. Among the city’s many famed sculptures, Michelangelo’s Pietà in St. Peter’s Basilica is an essential stop for art lovers. Monumental fountains adorned with intricate sculptures are scattered throughout the city, making almost every piazza feel like an open-air museum. However, one statue often considered emblematic of Rome’s artistic heritage is Antonio Canova’s Venus Victrix, housed in the Borghese Gallery within Villa Borghese, one of the city’s most beautiful parks near Via Veneto.
Carved from Carrara marble, this striking piece caused quite a stir when it was unveiled. While depictions of Venus often featured exposed forms, the real shock came from the identity of the model—Paolina Borghese, Napoleon’s sister. The reclining Venus exudes both elegance and seduction, lounging effortlessly on a painted wooden couch, one arm resting on marble pillows while the other holds an apple in a gesture of divine confidence.
While Venus Victrix is one of the highlights of the Borghese Gallery, Canova himself will take center stage in a special exhibition titled “Canova: Eternal Beauty”, running for five months at the Museo di Roma. Opening on October 9, this exhibition delves into Canova’s connection with the Eternal City, where he spent a significant portion of his career and created some of his most remarkable works. The sculptor passed away in Rome in 1822, leaving behind an extraordinary artistic legacy that bridges the 18th and 19th centuries.
The exhibition will feature around 170 pieces, including works by Canova and his contemporaries. Curators have planned immersive displays that replicate the warm ambiance Canova favored in his studio, where he used torchlight to illuminate his sculptures during private viewings.
This special collection, on display until March 15, 2020, brings together pieces from the Vatican Museums, the Capitoline Museums in Rome, the Hermitage in Russia, the Correr Museum in Venice, and several other institutions. The venue for this extraordinary event, Palazzo Braschi, is an elegant late 18th-century residence—one of the last grand palaces built for a papal family in Rome.
Stepping outside Palazzo Braschi, visitors find themselves at the entrance to Piazza Navona, one of Rome’s most vibrant squares. After admiring Canova’s artistry, art lovers can take a moment—free of charge—to appreciate yet another sculptural masterpiece: Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers. Here, amidst artists setting up their easels and children playing in the historic oval-shaped square, echoes of Rome’s artistic grandeur can still be felt, just as they were centuries ago.
