Canova, Antonio. Opere Scelte di Antonio Canova incise da Revel e dilucidate da Domenico Anzelmi. Napoli: Batelli, 1842. [6249]
Red leather folio decorated in gilt, 12 x 16 inches, all page edges gilt, marbled end papers, edges rubbed with a pill-sized nick to the spine, hinges firm. Black ink library name stamp on the tp with small number in ink on the verso, one page of text with name stamp in the bottom margin; no other library indicators. 216 pp. of Italian text explaining 110 fine engravings, light foxing in some places. Very good. Fine binding.
Antonio Canova (1757-1822), Italian sculptor celebrated for his Neoclassical style. He was considered to be the best sculptor of his times and his influence continued throughout the 19th century. In 1815 he was commissioned by the State of North Carolina to produce a marble sculpture of of George Washington - in which Canova represents Washington in the garb of a Roman ruler. This was exhibited in the rotunda of the North Carolina State House for ten years beginning in 1821, before it was destroyed in a fire. The plate of that statue is included in this work, and is in the photos above.
The arrangement of the plates is chronological, and shows the development of the sculptor's art.