Early in his career, 18th-century sculptor Antonio Canova became known for reviving the heritage of ancient Greek sculpture. Some, at the time, even called him the modern Phidias (circa 480 B.C.–430 B.C.). According to legend, only the preeminent Greek sculptor Phidias had seen the exact image of the gods, which he imparted to man, most famously through the Parthenon’s complete sculptural design.
Canova likely enjoyed the comparison; the Italian artist once said: “The works of Phidias are truly flesh and blood, like beautiful nature itself,” according to Jane Martineau and Andrew Robison in their book “The Glory of Venice: Art in the Eighteenth Century.”
