| George Washington | |
|---|---|
| Italian:Giorgio Washington | |
 Engraving by Bertini of Canova's statue of George Washington | |
| Year | 1820 |
| Medium | marble |
| Location | Raleigh, United States |
| Commissioned by | North Carolina |
George Washington was a life-size marble statue ofGeorge Washington, done in the style of aRoman general, by the Venetian-ItalianNeoclassical sculptorAntonio Canova. Commissioned by theState of North Carolina in 1815, it was completed in 1820 and installed in the rotunda of theNorth Carolina State House on December 24, 1821. The building and the statue were destroyed by fire on June 21, 1831. This work was the only one created by Canova for the United States.[1][2]
In December 1815, the House of Commons and the Senate of North Carolina unanimously resolved to commission a full-length statue of Washington. GovernorWilliam Miller, with the assistance and recommendation ofThomas Jefferson, determined that Canova should be the sculptor and thatThomas Appleton, American consul inLivorno, Italy, should handle the negotiations.[3] Washington had died in 1799, and Jefferson recommended that Canova use themarble bust of Washington byGiuseppe Ceracchi as a model for the head; Appleton owned a plaster copy.[1]
Canova started work on the statue at his studio in Rome in 1817, completing several sketches andmaquettes (also described as modellos or bozzettos). He finished the statue in 1820.[2] Governor Miller had requested aUnited States Navy vessel to transport it from Italy. CommodoreWilliam Bainbridge, commander ofUSS Columbus, delivered it to Boston on July 22, 1821.[3] The statue ultimately arrived inRaleigh, North Carolina, on December 24 and was installed in the rotunda of the state house as part of an official ceremony, attended by GovernorJesse Franklin and the legislature. ColonelWilliam Polk, an officer in theAmerican Revolutionary War, addressed the audience in the dedication speech, comparing Canova toMichelangelo and praising Washington.[4]
Canova did not see the statue installed in North Carolina: he died in Venice in 1822. In March 1825, theMarquis de Lafayette viewed the statue and was reported to state that "the likeness was so much better than he expected to see."[5]
Following the major fire of May 29, 1831, inFayetteville, the state decided to protect the wooden roof of the state house with zinc sheets. On June 21, while working to fireproof the building, workers accidentally set the roof on fire while soldering nail heads to the zinc.[6] The resulting destruction of both the state house and Canova's statue was described as an "Awful conflagration!" inThe Raleigh Register on June 23.[7]
A plaster replica was sent by the Italian government in 1910 and is on view at theNorth Carolina Museum of History. A marble copy was sculpted byRomano Vio in 1970, and is displayed in the rotunda of theNorth Carolina State Capitol, which was built in the same spot as the state house destroyed in 1831.[1]
The statue was made ofCarrara marble. Washington is dressedall'antica inancient Roman military armor and shown seated holding a tablet in his left hand and a quill in his right hand; a modernCincinnatus drafting his farewell address to the nation.[1] At his feet are a sword andbaton.[8]
The following inscription was on the base:[9]
Giorgio Washington
Alla grande Nazione degli Stati Uniti di America
– Antonio Canova
George Washington
To the Great Nation of the United States of America
– Antonio Canova
The statue was displayed on a separate pedestal made by Canova's student,Raimondo Trentanove, son ofAntonio Trentanove.[10] Trentanove carved fourbas-reliefs into the white marble of the pedestal, with each scene depicting an important aspect of Washington's life, as specified by Appleton. The front relief showed the surrender of British GeneralCharles Cornwallis atYorktown with Washington in victory. The second scene showed hisresignation as commander-in-chief of theContinental Army toCongress. The third one hiselection as President of the United States. The last one showed him with a plow back at his farm atMount Vernon, likeCincinnatus returning to private life.[11][12]
From May 23 through September 23, 2018, theFrick Collection presented an exhibition,Canova's George Washington, that displayed several of themaquettes used to create the work, including a full-size plaster model, on loan from theMuseo Canova inPossagno.[2] The exhibition then traveled to the Museo Canova, where it ran from November 10, 2018 until April 22, 2019.[13]
Media related toGeorge Washington by Antonio Canova at Wikimedia Commons
