CANOPUS CANOVA. 



25 



for canonization, in which his manner of life and the 

 genuineness of the miracles ascribed to him are 

 strictly examined ; and an advocate of the devil, as he 

 is called, is appointed, to assail the memory of the 

 candidate, but, of course, always loses his cause. If 

 the examination is satisfactory, the pope pronounces 

 the beatification (q. v.) of the candidate ; but, in order 

 to collect new proofs of his merits (e. g., of miracles 

 performed by his relics), the actual canonization 

 generally takes place many years afterwards; and 

 then a day, usually the anniversary of the death of 

 the new saint, is dedicated to his honour, his name 

 is inserted in the Canon or the Litany of the Saints 

 in the Mass (thence canonisation}, churches and altars 

 are consecrated to liim, and his remains are preserved 

 as holy relics. The last instance of canonization 

 occurred in 1803. See Saints. 



CANOPUS, or CANOBUS, in Egyptian Antiqui- 

 ties, is the name given to large-bellied vessels, used 

 formerly for preserving the water of the Nile fresh 

 and fit for drinking. They were frequently made of 

 basalt (as the fine canopus of green basalt in the 

 villa Albani), and decorated with figures in relievo 

 or paintings ; or of costly white alabaster, like that 

 in the Mus. Pio. Clementinum, with spiral flutings ; 

 or they were formed from black, burned clay. Un- 

 der the shape of such a vessel, surmounted by a hu- 

 man head, connected also sometimes with serpents, 

 and similar attributes, the Egyptians worshipped one 

 of their beneficent deities. The city Canopus or 

 Canobus, between Alexandria and the western month 

 of the Nile, is said to have derived its name from 

 this deity. The worship of Serapis was introduced, 

 in the room of that of this rude idol, under the first 

 Ptolemy. (See Part 1st of Creuzer's Symbolik, where 

 representations of this idol are given. For informa- 

 tion respecting the worship of the same, see Creu- 

 zer's Dionysos.) According to Eusebius, the sphe- 

 rical shape of the vessel was to express the universal 

 nature, or the world. The human head upon it sig- 

 nified the all-enlivening spirit (w>s), which was de- 

 noted also, in former times, by the figures of a ball 

 and a serpent. According to Zoega (Numi JEgyptii 

 Imperatorii, page 34), Canopus was the same as 

 Knuph, which seems to come from the same root, 

 and denotes the kind, protecting god. There are 

 traces, in Italy, of the worship of this deity, hi that 

 country, in the tune of Adrian. 



CANOSA ; a city in Lower Italy (Terra di Barf), 

 famous for the tombs in its vicinity, near the field 

 where Hannibal defeated the Romans. They are 

 cut in rocks, on a hill. Vases of coarse, whitish 

 clay have been found in them. In 1813, a beautiful 

 burial-chamber was opened. It had a small ante- 

 chamber, supported by pillars, and contained the 

 corpse of a warrior in armour, with a helmet on his 

 head, but one leg bare. The body crumbled to dust 

 as soon as it was exposed to the exterior air. The 

 wall of the apartment contained a fine basso relievo. 

 A copper lamp and a number of beautiful vases were 

 also found here. (See Millin's Description des Tom- 

 beaux de Canosa ainsi que des Bas-reliefs, desArmures, 

 et des rases peints yui y ont ete decouverts en 1813 

 (Paris, 1813, folio), with correct representations). 

 The paintings upon the vases are the most important 

 part of this discovery. They refer to the Greek- 

 Italian mysteries of the oldest inhabitants. 



CANOSA (near Reggio, in the duchy of Modena) ; 

 a mountain castle, now in ruins. Adelheid, widow 

 of King Lotharius, was besieged here, in 951, by 

 Berenger II., when she offered her hand and the 

 crown of Italy to Otho the Great, emperor of Ger- 

 many. In the llth century, Canosa belonged to 

 Matilda, duchess of Tuscany, with whom Gregory 

 VII. resided, in 1077, when he imposed a severe 



penance upon the excommunicated emperor Henry 

 IV. 



CANOVA, ANTONIO; the third sculptor of mo- 

 dern times, who has formed an epoch in Italian sta- 

 tuary. Michael Angelo Buonarotti was the first, 

 Bernini the second. Canova may be considered as 

 the restorer of the graceful and lovely style, and the 

 founder of a new school, as far as it respects soft- 

 ness and delicacy of execution, and excellent hand- 

 ling of the marble. He was born, Nov. 1, 1757, at 

 Possagno, in the Venetian territory. While a boy of 

 12 years old. he displayed his talents by modelling 

 the figure of a lion in butter, which was placed on 

 the table of Falieri, the seigneur of the place. The 

 Falieri, father and son, sent him, therefore, as an ap- 

 prentice, to a statuary hi Bassano, where he acquired 

 skill in the mechanical part of the art. His first 

 work, executed in his 17th year, was an Eurydice, in 

 soft marble, of half the natural size. He was now 

 sent to the academy of Venice, where his proper 

 study of the art commenced. He gained several 

 prizes, and excited expectations which he more than 

 equalled in the sequel. The first work, which he 

 was commissioned to execute, was the statue of the 

 marchese Poleni, of the natural size, for the city of 

 Padua. Sir William Hamilton, British ambassador 

 at Naples, was one of his earliest and most efficient 

 patrons. In his 25th year, he finished the group of 

 Daedalus and Icarus, of the natural size, in Carrara 

 marble. It is remarkable as a juvenile work, but is 

 only a faithful imitation of common nature. The se- 

 nate of Venice sent him, in 1779, to Rome, with a 

 salary of 300 ducats. Here the first fruit of his 

 study was an Apollo crowning himself with laurel, 

 three palms high, in marble. It is weak, and with- 

 out character. Yet the artist, hi this production, has 

 advanced beyond the mere imitation of nature ; and 

 this statue is to be considered as his transition to the 

 ideal. A group as large as life Theseus sitting 

 upon the slam Minotaur was the first large work by 

 which Canova made himself known hi Rome (1783), 

 It is one of his best works. Theseus has the cha? 

 racter of a hero ; and the forms show the study and 

 style of the antiques. It was received with universal 

 applause, and count Fries, in Vienna, purchased it. 

 In 1783, Canova undertook the execution of the tomb 

 of pope Clement XIV., in the church Degli Apos- 

 toli. He retained the usual style of composition, 

 and only unproved on the depraved taste of the 

 school of Bernini. He next made the group of Cu- 

 pid and Psyche, where he first displayed his own pe- 

 culiar style, of which loveliness is a striking charac- 

 teristic. The figures are exceedingly delicate and 

 graceful ; yet there is no point of view from which 

 the countenances of both can be seen at the same 

 time ; besides, the wings of Cupid project disagree- 

 ably from the group, which presents too many inter- 

 stices. About the same time, he executed the like- 

 ness of the young prince Czartoriski, in the charac- 

 ter of Cupid. He was employed on a second pub- 

 lic monument, the tomb of pope Clement XIII., in 

 St Peter's. It was finished in 1792, and is distin- 

 guished by its colossal size and simple style. (See 

 the engraving of Raphael Morghen.) The figure of 

 Religion is objected to as stiff; the long rays, the 

 huge cross, and the petty folds of the lower dress, 

 give her a tasteless air. The Genius has more beauty 

 of appearance than depth of expression. Mean- 

 while, the fame of the artist continually increased. 

 He established, in the palace of the Venetian am- 

 bassador, a school for the benefit of young Vene- 

 tians. His next works were a winged Cupid, stand- 

 ing ; another group of Cupid and Psyche ; a group 

 01 Venus and Adonis (in which the figure of the lat- 

 ter is particularly beautiful), for the Marchese Verio 



