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Lot Essay
The three graces - identified as Aglaia, Euphrosyne and Thalia by Hesiod in c. 700 BC - were first grouped in antiquity so that the two outer figures face the spectator, whilst the central figure faced away. This form was much copied in the Renaissance, by Sandro Botticelli and Raphael most prominently. Canova's realisation of the subject in marble was his masterpiece and perhaps the work most representative of the neoclassical taste in art. In form and sentiment it was quite distinct from any work of antiquity, particularly in the extraordinary softness of touch which was inspired by the works of Correggio. He bought to life the mythological archetype of the graces in the form of ideal beauty.
The conception of the Three Graces was initiated in 1812 when J.M. Deschamps, the Empress Josephine's secretary, wrote to Canova asking if he would consider a suggestion from the Empress that he carve a work of the Three Graces that 'Her Majesty thinks if executed by you would be attractive and also have great success' (pp. 19-20). The 6th Duke of Bedford saw the completed marble (now in The Hermitage) in 1814 in Canova's studio and was so enamored by it that he commissioned Canova to create another version, after his attempt to buy the first version was declined. This second version was completed in 1817 and in 1819 Canova came over to England to help install the statue at Woburn Abbey, where it stood in the sculpture gallery until it was purchased jointly by the Victoria & Albert Museum and the National Gallery of Scotland in 1994.
The present marble is a copy after the Bedford version. For the Bedford version, Canova rejected the rectangular altar of his first version in favour of a low column. He also slightly modified the base, so the surface was less uniformly smooth and gave the central figure, Aglaea, greater width, probably recognizing that she had been cut away too harshly in the first version. Canova clearly preferred the Bedford marble, and had the copper plates of the prints he had made of the first version altered to recognise the changes that he had made.
The present marble is exactly a half-sized reduction of the Bedford version. The main differences between the two is that in the present version the three foot-supports are lacking, no doubt possible because of the lighter load being supported in the smaller version.
The popularity of the composition ensured that many copies were made in marble during the remainder of the 19th century. The delicate details and particular individuality of the handling of the surface of the current lot suggests that is was carved in the period immediately after the sculptor's death in 1822.
In the early 1950s, Professor Sir Albert Richardson worked at Woburn Abbey, where he added the end pavillions to the u-shaped building, following the demolition of the East Wing. He would therefore have certainly been familiar with the magnificent Bedford version, which no doubt influenced his purchase of this sculpture.
The conception of the Three Graces was initiated in 1812 when J.M. Deschamps, the Empress Josephine's secretary, wrote to Canova asking if he would consider a suggestion from the Empress that he carve a work of the Three Graces that 'Her Majesty thinks if executed by you would be attractive and also have great success' (pp. 19-20). The 6th Duke of Bedford saw the completed marble (now in The Hermitage) in 1814 in Canova's studio and was so enamored by it that he commissioned Canova to create another version, after his attempt to buy the first version was declined. This second version was completed in 1817 and in 1819 Canova came over to England to help install the statue at Woburn Abbey, where it stood in the sculpture gallery until it was purchased jointly by the Victoria & Albert Museum and the National Gallery of Scotland in 1994.
The present marble is a copy after the Bedford version. For the Bedford version, Canova rejected the rectangular altar of his first version in favour of a low column. He also slightly modified the base, so the surface was less uniformly smooth and gave the central figure, Aglaea, greater width, probably recognizing that she had been cut away too harshly in the first version. Canova clearly preferred the Bedford marble, and had the copper plates of the prints he had made of the first version altered to recognise the changes that he had made.
The present marble is exactly a half-sized reduction of the Bedford version. The main differences between the two is that in the present version the three foot-supports are lacking, no doubt possible because of the lighter load being supported in the smaller version.
The popularity of the composition ensured that many copies were made in marble during the remainder of the 19th century. The delicate details and particular individuality of the handling of the surface of the current lot suggests that is was carved in the period immediately after the sculptor's death in 1822.
In the early 1950s, Professor Sir Albert Richardson worked at Woburn Abbey, where he added the end pavillions to the u-shaped building, following the demolition of the East Wing. He would therefore have certainly been familiar with the magnificent Bedford version, which no doubt influenced his purchase of this sculpture.