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A
sculpture for everyone in Possagno
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When
does a copy become an original? Why are the Americans
so interested in the small museum of Possagno? How
did Antonio Canova safeguard his heritage? Read
on to discover the answers to these questions and
much, much more . . .
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 Antonio
Canova, Italy's most famous neo-classical sculptor,
was born in a small town called Possagno,
in the province of Treviso. His birthplace has been
made into a museum which includes a "gipsoteca".
There's no real translation in English for gipsoteca
and being at best an unknown quantity and, at worst
mistranslated as a "meeting point for gypsies",
most tourists tend to steer clear. Those who do
turn to their dictionaries will find out that the
mysterious gipsoteca is none other than a
gallery of plaster
cast copies and invariably think
- "What do I care about copies, I want to
see the originals!"
Well my dear tourists, you couldn't be further from
the truth as the museum is a real delight to visit.
By examining the casts, sketches and terracotta
models on show you can study the development of
many of Canova's works from the drawing board
to the masterpieces that made him famous
throughout the world.
It is interesting to note that many of the casts
on exhibit are working models as opposed to copies.
If you look closely you will see that a series of
small nails has been pushed into many of the casts.
The nails were an important reference point for
the sculptor, who, when working on the final marble
sculpture, used a special compass to accurately
reproduce his plaster model. Indeed when seen in
this light we can say that the marble is a copy
of the plaster and not vice-versa.
The visit becomes even more special as we approach
the collection of Canova's working tools, carefully
lined up beside his clothes and his death mask.
It's almost as if we can see him at work and suddenly
the plaster casts and sketches take on a new, more
human dimension.
Plaques beside the casts and drawings indicate where
the finished marble statues are exhibited taking
us on a magical journey through the museums of Rome,
Naples and London. However in some cases the location
of the original (although in hindsight it
seems inappropriate to talk of originals) is missing
which brings us to another interesting discovery
- some of Canova's works are no longer in existence.
Indeed a number of statues have been lost or destroyed
leaving us with the plaster cast which, in the absence
of its marble mentor, becomes original and
unique - the only of its kind in the world.
This is true for the busts of Gioacchino Murat and
Carolina Bonaparte, both of whom ruled in Naples,
and for the Statue of Washington which Canova
first sketched, then moulded in clay, baked in China
clay, cast in plaster and finally carved in marble
before shipping it to the United States. Unfortunately
the statue was destroyed in a fire making the plaster
cast version in Possagno a unique tribute to the
first President of the United States.
Why, I hear you ask, is the plaster cast of Washington
not in the United States? The United States on their
part are doing all they can to get their hands on
the statue but Canova was most farseeing. Worried
that his successors would dissipate the heritage
in plaster and sketches he left the entire collection
to the people of Possagno, who, he specifies in
his will, can sell the plaster casts only after
a unanimous vote of the town's population.
So aficionados in the US are fighting a vain battle.
- this precious collection is set to be an integral
part of this seemingly unimportant town for a long
time yet.
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| by
GIOVANNI
SONEGO |
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May
2001
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THE SURVIVOR'S 
