Detail View: ADJUNCT MODULE B: ITALIAN ART: Paolina Borghese as Venus Victrix
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Collection:
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ADJUNCT MODULE B: ITALIAN ART
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Preferred Title:
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Paolina Borghese as Venus Victrix
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Image View:
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Detail, gold gilding on the couch in the shape of a dragon head
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Creator:
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Antonio Canova (Italian sculptor, 1757-1822)
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Location:
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repository: Galleria Borghese (Rome, Lazio, Italy)
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Location Note:
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Piazzale Scipione Borghese, 5
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GPS:
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+41.914+12.492
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Date:
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1804-1808 (creation)
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Cultural Context:
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Italian
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Style Period:
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Néo-Grec; Neoclassical; Nineteenth century
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Work Type 1:
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sculpture (visual work)
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Classification:
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Sculpture and Installations
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Material:
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marble
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Technique:
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carving (processes)
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Measurements:
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160 cm (height) x 192 cm (length)
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Subjects:
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human figure; rulers and leaders; Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, 1769-1821; Napoleonic Wars, 1800-1815; Venus (Roman deity)
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Description:
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Canova’s portraits were particularly in demand from members of Napoleon’s family and entourage, of whom he made numerous busts. The most famous and fascinating portrait is that of Paolina Borghese Bonaparte as Venus Victorious, in which Canova revived the Venuses of the Venetian school of the 16th century. The sensuality of the nude figure, modelled with exquisite softness, contrasts with the artificiality of the pose; the face is in profile and the subject seems to be trying to evade the gaze of the onlooker. The refinement with which the marble is finished was brought out to the full by the artificial light in which the work was originally shown, in a room set aside for it alone. (Source: Grove Art Online; http://www.oxfordartonline.com/)
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Collection:
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Adjunct Module B: Italian Art
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Identifier:
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7A1-CANOVA-BG-PBV-A15
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Rights:
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© Scott Gilchrist, Archivision, Inc.
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