Let's say farewell to August with this handsome and impressive lion, modeled after The Vigilant Lion sculpted by Antonio Canova in the late Eighteenth Century.
Antonio Canova (1757-1822) grew-up with marble dust in his veins. He was sculpting as a very young boy. He was born in Possagno, Italy (outside of Venice), and lost his father (who was a stonecutter) when he was four years old. He was taken-in by his grandfather, a stonemason and owner of a quarry. Canova's grandfather sculpted marble altars in the Late Baroque style. By the age of nine, young Canova was modeling clay and carving marble. At 12, Canova began a two year apprenticeship under Giuseppe Bernardi. He then worked under Giovanni Ferrari before studying at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia. He quickly made a name for himself and was quickly employed by the churches and wealthy patrons of Venice. By the age of 22, Canova opened his own studio in Venice.
At 23, Canova moved to Rome where he began studying and sketching the works of Michelangelo. The Venetian Ambassador to Rome, Girolamo Zulian, made work space in his palace for Canova and commissioned him to produce a sculpture—the subject of which was left up to the artist. Canova sculpted Theseus and the Minotaur, which was so good that contemporary viewers were skeptical that it had been recently sculpted. They assumed that it was an original Ancient Greek artifact. Images of the sculpture were engraved and widely distributed, greatly expanding Canova's reputation and generating more work for the young artist. From that point, Canova frequently published engraved images of his works for wide circulation. By 1800, Canova was the most-celebrated artist in Europe with patrons scattered across the continent—including works for the Emperor Napoleon of France and the Tsar of Russia.
Pope Clement XIII died in 1769. Canova was commissioned to design and carve the pope's tomb in Saint Peter's Basilica. Canova remained true to his unique Neoclassical style while also complementing the earlier Baroque style of the church. He carved the tomb of Carrara marble between 1783 and 1792. Two lions crouching before the tomb—one vigilant, the other asleep—were carved in Travertine. These lions became wildly popular. Later sculptors (of pairs of lions) were inspired by Canova's examples—or they simply copied them outright. A pair of bronze Canova lions, cast (in 1860) from moulds of the originals, stand guard before the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.
This lion, shown above, was made in post-war Italy in the Sixties. He is sculpted in terracotta after Canova's Vigilant Lion from Pope Clement XIII's tomb in Saint Peter's Basilica. He is impressively large and finished with a cool white glaze. He would make a wonderful "statement piece" for any interior—whether traditional or industrial modern. Click on the photo above to learn more about him.
Though our Greenwich Village store is now permanently closed, LEO Design is still alive and well! Please visit our on-line store where we continue to sell Handsome Gifts (www.LEOdesignNYC.com).
To arrange a visit our Pittsburgh showroom (by private appointment only), please call 917-446-4248.