ANTIONIO FRILLI (ITALIAN, FL. LATE 19TH CENTURY) AFTER ANTONIO CANOVA (ITALIAN, 1757-1822)

Canova was commissioned to execute the original model at the suggestion of Ludovico I, King of Etruria, as a replacement for the Antique statue of the Medici Venus, which had been plundered by the French in 1802. An ambitious request, Canova rose to the challenge. Completed in 1812, the sculpture was placed in the Palazzo Pitti, Florence where it received great acclaim from the moment it was unveiled. Canova subsequently produced several other examples, which were purchased by, among others, the Marquess of Lansdowne, Lucien, Prince of Canino and brother of Napoleon, and the Marquess of Londonderry.