
Reclining Naiad
1819 · Carrara marble
Overall (wt. confirmed): 35 × 75 × 32 1/2 in., 2558 lb. (88.9 × 190.5 × 82.6 cm, 1160.3 kg)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Antonio Canova worked in marble to create Neoclassical sculptures that synthesized Baroque sensibility with classical restraint, rejecting both the melodrama of Baroque excess and the sterile formalism of strict antiquarian revival. Born in the Republic of Venice in 1757, he became the defining sculptor of the Neoclassical movement, whose work balanced emotional depth with formal clarity. His marble figures are distinguished by their refined proportions, subtle modeling of surface, and a restrained elegance that conveyed psychological presence without theatrical gesture.
Source: Artsy · Trust score: 85% · Updated 1mo ago