48 
sion which he has given to his statue; 
but there is a certain stiffness in the atte 
tude. He has been guilty of the same 
fault in two copies of this statue, which 
he executed for England and freland; 
and his own acknowledgment confirms 
this opinion, 
M. Quairemeére de Quincy mentions a 
group of Venus end Adonis. Nuthic g but 
the model of it is now in existence; the 
artist himself destroyed the graup, be- 
eause he thought it exeited rather licen 
tious ideas: Vv enus was sitting with Ado- 
wis, and placing a crown on his head, 
while he was ho:ding her in a tender em- 
brace, 
Prince Rezzonico soon afterwards em- 
ployed Canova to execute the monument 
which his family resolved to ereet in ho- 
nour of Clement XIII. In the immense 
dome of St. Peter’s, all the proportions of 
which exceed the ordmary standard, a 
monument cannot en; gage the attention of 
the spectator, unless it partake of the 
same colossal dimensions. That of Cle- 
ment XIII. erected in 1792, is perfectly 
propor tioned to the magnitude of the edi- 
fice whichit serves to embellish. It may 
easily be distinguished from all those de- 
sicned for the same purpose, and exe- 
uted in the ecclesiastical -style. 
On the nght of the sarcophagus, Reli- 
gion is seen “standing with a cross im her 
right hand, and rest ing her lett on the 
coffin. Her head isadorned witha crown 
of stars. On the left of the sarcophagus, 
Genius, in the form of a young man, holds 
@ torch, reversed; he supports himself 
upon the sepu leh urn, and raises his 
eyes with anguishing air. Round the 
medallion, pate is on the sarcophagus, 
is this inscription: Clements. XI1L. Rezzo- 
nico. P. M. Fratris. Filti. Two Virtues, 
in relievo, are seen seated with their 
backs towards each other; Charity, having 
her hands fulded on her breast, and Hope, 
holdiag a crown in ber right hand, and 
near her the anchor, her other attribute, 
Behind the sarcophagus is the statue of 
the Pope in his pontifical habit; he is 
kneeling upona cus hion engaged in pr ayer, 
and terminates the extremity of the pyra- 
midal outline formed by the group. On 
the base of the monument are seen two 
lions, reclined at the feet of Religion and 
Genius. The statue of the’ pope Is seven- 
teen feet and seer of Religion and Ge- 
nius are each twelve feet in “height. 
The originality of the artist is much 
more sit ikingl y displayed in this mauso~ 
Account of the Life and Works of Canova. 
[Aug. f, 
Jeum than in that which he executed for 
Pope Ganganelli, tors see him proceed~ 
ing ina bolder manne 3 aad though, upon 
the whole, this monument is not distin 
guished for any novelty or grandeur of 
conception ; thoug! i thre is 80 brilhancy 
in the symbolic character of the allego- 
rical figures; 16 is, pevertheless, -certal ny 
that it bears the i impress of the genius and 
talents of a great master. Itis scarcely 
possible to Ee the Peron dis~ 
played in the two lions which are at the 
feet of Religion and Genius. The sta- 
tue of the pope could not be represented 
in a more interesting and touching man- 
ner; the fervency of devotion is percep- 
tible in the whole expression of the face; 
the drapery is executed with great’ art. 
But Religion does not deserve the same 
commendations; it is a stiff figure, desti- 
tute of life and soul. Her ornaments are 
arranged without taste; a wooden cross 
which rises to’ the heisht of more than 
twelve feet above her “head, produces a 
ridiculous and barbarous effect. The 
rays which surround her head, and are 
each above a foot long, resemble the 
spokes of @ wheel; but while the critic 
censures the faults of this statue, he 
should nor forget that the genius of the 
artist was cramped by the direetions he 
received ‘from the founders. Ue was, in- 
deed, left quite at liberty with respect_to 
the figure of Genius; he might have 
formed a representation of perfect beauty 
by expressing that of a young man, and 
antiquity furnished him with numeroug 
models; but, 1 general, it may be re- | 
marked that Canova is not so happy in 
the invention of his characteristic figures, 
as in the expression of mild aud pleasing 
beauty. The latter is perfect in the Ge- 
nius of which we are speaking, bat he 
displays no character; his figare has in it 
nothing determined, ‘and his attitude is 
vague and insignificant. 
‘This last monument, by establishing the 
high reputation of f Canova, enabled him 
to execute for himself in marble, works 
of his own invention. : 
ie years succeeding that in which he 
ompleted it, beheld many new works 
issue from his chisel r among these were 
~—A winged Cupid standing; a copy of 
the gyoup of Cupid and Psyche, with some 
alterations in the dress, for the Russian 
Prince Jusupoff; a group of Venus and 
Adonis; a monwnent for the Chevalier: 
Emo, and Psyche holding a butterfly be= 
tween her jingers.— (1a be continued.) 
ORIGINAL 
