Canova: La Riconoscenza

The sculptor and painter Antonio Canova (1857-1922) invented a new genre with his “ideal heads,” intended as gifts for close friends and people he admired, as a sign of affection and gratitude. Canova's masterpiece, La Riconoscenza, was long considered lost. The sculpture was commissioned by the Marquise de Grollier, herself an artist, as a gift for their mutual friend Quatremère de Quincy, Canova's most important critic. These three figures left their mark on the cultural life of their era.

This book traces the history of the creation of La Riconoscenza through the correspondence between Canova, Quatremère, and the Marquise de Grollier, and places it in the context of Canova's Teste ideali, providing insight into these unique expressions of friendship.