Antonio Canova: A Life Sculpted in Marble Antonio Canova, a name synonymous with the pinnacle of Neoclassical sculpture, remains an enduring figure in Western art history. Born in 1757 in Possagno, Italy – a small village nestled amongst the rolling hills near Venice – his life was inextricably linked to stone and the echoes of ancient Greece and Rome. From his earliest years, immersed in the family’s stonemasonry business, Canova demonstrated an extraordinary aptitude for shaping marble, a talent nurtured by his grandfather, Pasino Canova, a skilled artisan specializing in religious altars.…