Perseus Triumphant
One of the most heroic acts of Perseus, son of Jupiter and the mortal princess Danae, was the beheading of the snake-haired Medusa. In a witty play on the power of the Gorgon's severed head to turn men to stone, Canova's hero looks directly at it and has indeed become marble. The sculptor created his first version of the Perseus, shown here, on his own initiative and in secrecy. In 1801 it was revealed to such acclaim that Pope Pius VII (r. 1800-1823) installed it in the niche formerly occupied by the revered Apollo Belvedere, which had been carried off to France by Napoleon. A visiting Polish countess requested a replica, which Canova completed in 1806. That second version, more fluent and lyrical in its treatment, is now in the Metropolitan Museum (67.110.1).
Artwork Details
- Title: Perseus Triumphant
- Artist: Domenico Marchetti (Italian, Rome ca. 1780–after 1844 Rome)
- Artist: Intermediary draughtsman Giovanni Tognolli (Italian, Bieno 1786–1862 Rome (?))
- Artist: After Antonio Canova (Italian, Possagno 1757–1822 Venice)
- Date: 1813
- Medium: Etching and engraving
- Dimensions: Plate: 24 7/8 × 17 15/16 in. (63.2 × 45.5 cm)
Sheet: 31 in. × 21 15/16 in. (78.7 × 55.7 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Anonymous Gift, in memory of John Goldsmith Phillips, 1993
- Object Number: 1993.1040
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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Domenico Marchetti
Antonio Canova
1812–13
Domenico Marchetti
Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio or Santi)
ca. 1800–44
Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1800–20
Multiple artists/makers
ca. 1800–20
Multiple artists/makers
1817
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