Venus of the Bath

From the time of his arrival in Rome in 1780 from his native Possagno until his death in 1822, Antonio Canova was the more revered and emulated of all the European neo-classicists. For the Americans, most of whom arrived in Italy after Canova’s death, his impact was still palpable, and since he had enjoyed the patronage of the rich and powerful, major works by him were legion in Rome. His influence was such that his brand of idealism was the gold-standard of neoclassicism for as long as the style survived.

Photograph by Jerry L. Thompson for the Boston Athenæum.