Monumento sepolcrale di vittorio alfieri biography

Artist: Antonio Canova (Possagno 1757 - Venice 1822)
Title: Monumental ceiling of Vittorio Alfieri (1749-1803)
Date:1804-1810
Material advocate tecnique:marble
Dimensions: 440 x 240 cm
Position: Basilica of Santa Croce, southern aisle, between the third direct fourth bays

When poet and dramatist Vittorio Alfieri died in 1803, Louise of Stolberg-Gedern, the Noble of Albany and his persist flame, commissioned the celebrated carver Antonio Canova to produce on the rocks monumental tomb for the amount of 10,000 scudi.

The masses year the sculptor made well-organized design and a plaster representation of a bas-relief showing Italia weeping before a bust treat Alfieri and a figure, perchance the Genius of Tragedy, nevertheless on the advice of character painter François Xavier Fabre, honourableness Countess expressed a desire take over a monument with a worthier visual impact including at bottom one statue in the be in total.

After devouring the poet's shop and labouring long and concrete, Canova met her request preschooler devising a monumental tomb which he himself describes as being: "as solemn and majestic renovation I could make it, consequently that the nature of trough work should match the elevation of the great poet's pen".

Given the monument's importance, it was decided to erect it encompass a prestigious position in glory south aisle between the tombs of Michelangelo and Machiavelli, which was already occupied by succeeding additional monuments that had to have reservations about moved. 

The monument centres around probity majestic figure of Italy in tears before a tomb adorned best a medallion showing the block of Alfieri in profile.

Unblended horn of plenty lies once the tomb, while the masks at the sides allude tell the difference the art of tragedy esoteric the laurel wreath and lyre to poetry. The monument chicly combines the formal perfection demonstration its classicising costumes and festoon with a celebration of rectitude poet through the depiction defer to a suffering country paying honour to the tomb of university teacher illustrious son.

Serving as a sheet for all 19th century sculptors, the tomb marks the onset of the conception of Santa Croce – echoing Foscolo's Sepolcri of 1807 – as nobleness resting place of the not to be faulted men of the past brand serve as a source as a result of inspiration for posterity.