Canova & Great Britain / Ep. 1 / Thomas Campbell and Marchese Antonio Canova with the curator Helen Smailes

The final episode of this series investigates the complicated history behind the joint acquisition of Canova’s masterpiece The Three Graces, whose ownership is now shared between the V&A Museum in London and the National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh.

Now part of the Museo Canova’s collection, Sir Thomas Lawrence’s portrait of Antonio Canova speaks to the British admiration of Canova and although it might not represent his physical traits with complete faithfulness, it certainly succeeds in fixing Canova’s genuine genius in his gaze.

In this episode, we discuss one of the lesser-known acquaintances of Antonio Canova between the UK and Italy: Gavin Hamilton, a Scottish national who spent most of his adult life in Italy, working as a painter, dealer and archaeologist. Hamilton had a great influence on the young sculptor and became one of the leading figures in Canova’s circle in Rome.

Helen Smailes, curator of British Art at the National Galleries of Scotland, talks us through Canova’s enormous prestige in Great Britain and the unimaginable association with Edinburgh-born Thomas Campbell, ultimately the most important Scottish pioneer of neoclassical sculpture in Britain.

In meno di tre minuti cercheremo di farvi scoprire alcune curiosità sulle opere di Antonio Canova. Buon ascolto!

Ti basteranno tre minuti per conoscere la storia di uno dei magnifici capolavori di Antonio Canova. Ascolta il primo episodio dei podcast di Museo Canova. Il primo episodio è dedicato alle Grazie.