Sketch of Two Statues: Ballerinas by Canova
ca. 1850
Medium
Graphite, with inscriptions in pen and brown ink
Dimensions
sheet: 8 3/8 x 7 1/2 in. (21.2 x 19 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. John De Witt Peltz, 1977
Accession Number
1977.382.8
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold this delicate graphite sketch, *Sketch of Two Statues Ballerinas by Can*, created around 1850 by British sculptor John Gibson, a devoted pupil of the neoclassical master Antonio Canova Captured on a modest 8 3/8 x 7 1/2-inch sheet, it depicts a pair of Canova's graceful ballerina figures—elegant embodiments of neoclassicism's ideal of poised femininity and dynamic movement. Gibson's lines, enhanced by pen and brown ink inscriptions, his intimate study of his mentor's work, likely drawn from memory or direct observation during his time in Canova's Rome studio. Canova (1757–1822), the pr...
About the Artist
John Gibson|Antonio Canova · 1790–1866
Outstanding Neoclassical sculptor who experimented with the ancient practice of coloring statues, e.g. his 'Tinted Venus' (1851). Flaxman encourgaged him to go to Rome, where he spent most of his life. He left his fortune to the National Gallery, London. British sculptor, active Rome. Comment on works: sculptor