George Washington (Canova) - Misplaced Pages

Sculpture by Antonio Canova

George Washington
Italian: Giorgio Washington
Engraving by Bertini of Canova's statue of George Washington
Year	1820
Medium	marble
Location	Raleigh, US
Commissioned by	North Carolina
[edit on Wikidata]

George Washington was a life-size marble statue of George Washington, done in the style of a Roman general, by the Venetian-Italian Neoclassical sculptor Antonio Canova. Commissioned by the State of North Carolina in 1815, it was completed in 1820 and installed in the rotunda of the North Carolina State House on December 24, 1821. The building and the statue were destroyed by fire on June 21, 1831. This work was the only one created by Canova for the United States.

History

In December 1815, the House of Commons and the Senate of North Carolina unanimously resolved to commission a full-length statue of Washington. Governor William Miller, with the assistance and recommendation of Thomas Jefferson, determined that Canova should be the sculptor and that Thomas Appleton, American consul in Livorno, Italy, should handle the negotiations. Washington had died in 1799, and Jefferson recommended that Canova use the marble bust of Washington by Giuseppe Ceracchi as a model for the head; Appleton owned a plaster copy.

Canova started work on the statue at his studio in Rome in 1817, completing several sketches and maquettes (also described as modellos or bozzettos). He finished the statue in 1820. Governor Miller had requested a United States Navy vessel to transport it from Italy. Commodore William Bainbridge, commander of USS Columbus, delivered it to Boston on July 22, 1821. The statue ultimately arrived in Raleigh, North Carolina, on December 24 and was installed in the rotunda of the state house as part of an official ceremony, attended by Governor Jesse Franklin and the legislature. Colonel William Polk, an officer in the American Revolutionary War, addressed the audience in the dedication speech, comparing Canova to Michelangelo and praising Washington.

Canova did not see the statue installed in North Carolina: he died in Venice in 1822. In March 1825, the Marquis de Lafayette viewed the statue and was reported to state that "the likeness was so much better than he expected to see."

Following the major fire of May 29, 1831, in Fayetteville, the state decided to protect the wooden roof of the state house with zinc sheets. On June 21, while working to fireproof the building, workers accidentally set the roof on fire while soldering nail heads to the zinc. The resulting destruction of both the state house and Canova's statue was described as an "Awful conflagration!" in The Raleigh Register on June 23.

A plaster replica was sent by the Italian government in 1910 and is on view at the North Carolina Museum of History. A marble copy was sculpted by Romano Vio in 1970, and is displayed in the rotunda of the North Carolina State Capitol, which was built in the same spot as the state house destroyed in 1831.

Description

The statue was made of Carrara marble. Washington is dressed all'antica in ancient Roman military armor and shown seated holding a tablet in his left hand and a quill in his right hand; a modern Cincinnatus drafting his farewell address to the nation. At his feet are a sword and baton.

The following inscription was on the base:

Giorgio Washington
Alla grande Nazione degli Stati Uniti di America
– Antonio Canova

George Washington
To the Great Nation of the United States of America
– Antonio Canova

The statue was displayed on a separate pedestal made by Canova's student, Raimondo Trentanove, son of Antonio Trentanove. Trentanove carved four bas-reliefs into the white marble of the pedestal, with each scene depicting an important aspect of Washington's life, as specified by Appleton. The front relief showed the surrender of British General Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown with Washington in victory. The second scene showed his resignation as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army to Congress. The third one his election as President of the United States. The last one showed him with a plow back at his farm at Mount Vernon, like Cincinnatus returning to private life.

Legacy

From May 23 through September 23, 2018, the Frick Collection presented an exhibition, Canova's George Washington, that displayed several of the maquettes used to create the work, including a full-size plaster model, on loan from the Museo Canova in Possagno. The exhibition then traveled to the Museo Canova, where it ran from November 10, 2018 until April 22, 2019.

Gallery

Canova, self-portrait, 1792
Marble bust of Washington by Giuseppe Ceracchi, 1795
Lithograph of original Statue and pedestal depicted in the rotunda of the North Carolina State House with bas-reliefs by R. Trentanove
George Washington, plaster replica on display at the North Carolina Museum of History
George Washington, copy by Romano Vio in the North Carolina State Capitol
Plaster model at the Museo Canova

References

^ "George Washington Sculpture, North Carolina State Capitol, Raleigh". University of North Carolina. 19 March 2010. Archived from the original on 2017-04-25. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
^ "Canova's George Washington". The Frick Collection. Archived from the original on 2019-01-25. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
^ Connor (1910), pp. 6–7.
Haywood (1902), pp. 281–2.
"The Marquis de Lafayette Visiting the State Capitol in Raleigh in March 1825". The Frick Collection. Archived from the original on 2019-01-28. Retrieved 2019-01-27.
Miskimon, Scott A. (2010). "The Fires of 1831: Fayetteville and Raleigh in Flames". State Library of North Carolina. Archived from the original on 2018-12-13. Retrieved 2019-01-27.
Johnson, Charles Earl (1905). "History of the Capitol". The North Carolina Booklet. Vol. V. North Carolina Society, Daughters of the Revolution. p. 83. Archived from the original on 2023-02-05. Retrieved 2019-01-27.
Salomon, Beltramini & Guderzo (2018), p. 55.
Johnston, Elizabeth Bryant (1882). "Antonio Canova". Original Portraits of Washington, including Statues, Monuments and Medals. p. 173. OCLC 3303313.
"George Washington in Raleigh: Arrival and Destruction". The Frick Collection. Archived from the original on 2019-01-29. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
Salomon, Beltramini & Guderzo (2018), p. 66.
Haywood (1902), p. 283.
"Exhibition: Canova's George Washington". 19 February 2018. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 6 August 2020.

Bibliography

Connor, R.D.W. (1910), Canova's Statue of Washington, The North Carolina Historical Commission, OCLC 1041641544
Haywood, Marshall DeLancey (1902), Bassett, John Spencer (ed.), "Canova's Statue of Washington", The South Atlantic Quarterly, 1 (3), Durham, North Carolina: Duke University: 278–287, doi:10.1215/00382876-1-3-278, S2CID 258264323
Salomon, Xavier F.; Beltramini, Guido; Guderzo, Mario (2018), Canova's George Washington, New York: The Frick Collection, ISBN 978-1-911282-17-4, OCLC 1008776014

External links

Media related to George Washington by Antonio Canova at Wikimedia Commons
Canova, Antonio. "George Washington, (sculpture)". Inventory of American Sculpture, Smithsonian Institution Research Information System. Smithsonian American Art Museum. IAS 76005424.
Barron, James (April 23, 2017). "Finally, From Italy, the Full George Washington". The New York Times.

Antonio Canova

Sculpture

Venice (1770-1780)	Orpheus and Eurydice Daedalus and Icarus
Rome (1780-1797)	Theseus and the Minotaur Tomb of Pope Clement XIV Self-portrait Cenotaph for Clement XIII Hercules and Lichas Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss Hebe Tomb of Duchess Maria Christina of Saxony-Teschen Penitent Magdalene Funerary monument for Titian (abandoned)
France (1800-1815)	Napoleon as Mars the Peacemaker Napoleon as Mars the Peacemaker (bronze cast) Venus Victrix Perseus Triumphant Bust of Napoleon Statue of Letizia Ramolino Concordia The Three Graces Tomb of Servilius Quartus
Italy (1816-1822)	Venus Italica George Washington Monument to the Royal Stuarts Equestrian statue of Ferdinand VII

Buildings

Italy (1816-1822)	Tempio Canoviano

Museums

Museo Canova

v t e George Washington
1st President of the United States (1789–1797) Senior Officer of the Army (1798–1799) Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army (1775–1783) Delegate to the Second Continental Congress (1775) Delegate to the First Continental Congress (1774)
Military career Revolutionary War	Military career French and Indian War Jumonville Glen Battle of Fort Necessity Battle of the Monongahela Forbes Expedition Washington in the American Revolution Commander-in-chief, Continental Army Aides-de-camp Washington's headquarters office and sleeping tent Boston campaign Siege of Boston New York and New Jersey campaign Delaware River crossing Battle of Trenton Battle of the Assunpink Creek Battle of Princeton Philadelphia campaign Battle of Brandywine Battle of Germantown Battle of White Marsh Valley Forge Battle of Monmouth Battles of Saratoga Sullivan Expedition Yorktown campaign Siege of Yorktown Culper Spy Ring Newburgh Conspiracy Newburgh letter Asgill Affair Evacuation Day Resignation as commander-in-chief Badge of Military Merit Purple Heart Washington Before Boston Medal Horses Nelson Blueskin
Other U.S. founding events	Initiated, co-wrote, 1769 Virginia Association Initiated, 1774 Fairfax Resolves Continental Association Court of Appeals in Cases of Capture 1785 Mount Vernon Conference Chairman, 1787 Constitutional Convention George Washington's political evolution
Presidency (timeline)	1788–89 United States presidential election First inauguration inaugural bible 1792 presidential election Second inauguration Reception at Trenton Title of "Mr. President" Cabinet of the United States Secretary of State Attorney General Secretary of the Treasury Secretary of War Judiciary Act of 1789 Oath Administration Act Nonintercourse Act Whiskey Rebellion Militia Acts of 1792 Coinage Act of 1792 United States Mint Presidential Succession Act of 1792 United States Capitol cornerstone laying Proclamation of Neutrality Neutrality Act of 1794 Jay Treaty Pinckney's Treaty Slave Trade Act of 1794 Residence Act Thanksgiving Proclamation Farewell Address State of the Union Address 1790 1791 1792 1793 1796 Cabinet Federal judicial appointments John Rutledge Supreme Court nominations
Views and public image	Presidential library The Washington Papers Religious views Town Destroyer Legacy
Life and homes	Early life Birthplace Ferry Farm boyhood home Mount Vernon Fishery Gristmill Whiskey distillery Woodlawn Plantation Longfellow House–Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site Ford Mansion, Washington's headquarters Hasbrouck House First Presidential Mansion Second Presidential Mansion President's House, Philadelphia Germantown White House Custis estate Washington's relations with the Iroquois Confederacy Potomac Company James River and Kanawha Canal Mountain Road Lottery Congressional Gold Medal Thanks of Congress President General of the Society of the Cincinnati Washington College Washington and Lee University Electoral history of George Washington Post-presidency of George Washington
Memorials and depictions	Washington, D.C. Washington state Washington Monument Mount Rushmore Washington's Birthday Purple Heart The Apotheosis of Washington Washington Monument (Boonsboro, Maryland) Washington Monument (Baltimore) George Washington (Houdon) plaster copy George Washington (Ceracchi) George Washington (Canova) George Washington (Greenough) George Washington (Trumbull) George Washington and the Revolutionary War Door Revolutionary War Door Washington Crossing the Delaware The Passage of the Delaware General George Washington at Trenton Washington at Verplanck's Point General George Washington Resigning His Commission Surrender of Lord Cornwallis Unfinished portrait Lansdowne portrait The Washington Family portrait Washington at Princeton paintings George Washington Taking the Salute at Trenton Reception at Trenton painting Statues Trenton Battle Monument Princeton Battle Monument Point of View sculpture George Washington on Horseback Austin statue Baltimore statue Boston statue Mexico City statue Morristown statue Newark statue New York City statue Wall Street statue Paris statue Perth Amboy statue Philadelphia statue Portland statue Washington, D.C. statue West Point monument George Washington University Washington University in St. Louis Washington Masonic National Memorial George Washington Memorial Parkway George Washington Bridge Washington and Jefferson National Forests Washington Square Park Arch U.S. Postage stamps Washington–Franklin Issues 1932 bicentennial Currency Washington quarter 50 State Quarters D.C. and territories quarters America the Beautiful quarters American Women quarters History Instructing Youth dollar Washington dollar Lafayette dollar Silver bullion coins Washington nickel Washington half eagle 250th Anniversary half dollar Mount Rushmore Anniversary coins Mount Washington Cultural depictions George Washington (1984 miniseries 1986 sequel) A More Perfect Union (1989 film) The Crossing (2000 film) We Fight to Be Free (2006 film) Turn: Washington's Spies (2014–2017 series) The War that Made America (2006 miniseries) Washington (2020 miniseries) Hamilton (film)
Related	Bibliography List of articles Founders Online Founding Fathers of the United States Republicanism Federalist Party Federalist Era Virginia dynasty Coat of arms Cherry-tree anecdote River Farm Washington's Crossing Washington–Rochambeau Revolutionary Route 1751 Barbados trip Category Syng inkstand General of the Armies Conway Cabal American Foxhound American Philosophical Society American Revolution patriots Betsy Ross flag Mount Vernon Ladies' Association Mount Vernon replicas George Washington Memorial Building Attempted theft of Washington's skull
Family	Martha Washington (wife) John Parke Custis (stepson) George Washington Parke Custis (step-grandson, adopted son) Eleanor Parke Custis (step-granddaughter, adopted daughter) Augustine Washington (father) Mary Ball Washington (mother) Lawrence Washington (half-brother) Augustine Washington Jr. (half-brother) Elizabeth Washington Lewis (sister) Samuel Washington (brother) John A. Washington (brother) Charles Washington (brother) Lawrence Washington (grandfather) Mildred Gale (grandmother) John Washington (great-grandfather) George Reade (2nd great-grandfather) Bushrod Washington (nephew)
Slavery	Washington and slavery List of enslaved people of Mount Vernon Betty Caroline Branham William Costin West Ford Sarah Johnson Oney Judge Philip Lee William Lee Hercules Posey Christopher Sheels Deborah Squash Harry Washington
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