Head of Medusa
1806–7
Medium
Plaster cast, with modern metal rod
Dimensions
confirmed, height including metal attachment rod: 14 7/8 × 13 × 12 3/4 in. (37.8 × 33 × 32.4 cm) Height (confirmed, height head only): 12 1/2 in. (31.8 cm)
Classification
Sculpture
Culture
Italian, Rome
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Fletcher Fund, 1967
Accession Number
67.110.2
Tags
About the Artist
Antonio Canova · 1757–1822
Antonio Canova, born on November 1, 1757, in the small town of Possagno in the Republic of Venice, was immersed in sculpture from childhood. His father, Pietro Canova, a stonecutter, died when Antonio was just four, prompting his mother, Angela Zardo Fantolin, to remarry and place him under the care of his paternal grandfather, Pasino Canova. A skilled stonemason and sculptor of late Baroque altar...