Antonio Canova was an Italian sculptor. He was born in 1757 at Possagno, in Venetian territory and died in 1822. He was first an apprentice to a statuary in Bassano, from whom he went to the Academy of Venice, where he had a brilliant career. In 1779 he was sent by the senate of Venice to Rome with a salary of 300 ducats, and there produced his Theseus and the Slain Minotaur. In 1783 Antonio Canova undertook the execution of the tomb of Pope Clement XIV in the Church of the Apostles, a work in the Bernini manner, and inferior to his second public monument the tomb of Pope Clement XIII (1792) in St Peter's.
From 1783 his fame rapidly increased. He established a school for the benefit of young Venetians, and amongst other works produced his group of Venus and Adonis, the Psyche and Butterfly, a Repentant Magdalene, the well-known Hebe, the colossalHerculeshurling Lichas into the Sea, the Pugilists, and the group of Cupid and Psyche. In 1796 and 1797 Antonio Canova finished the model of the celebrated tomb of the Archduchess Christina of Austria, and in 1797 made the colossal model of a statue of the King of Naples executed in marble in 1803. He afterwards executed in Rome his Perseus with the Head of Medusa, which, when the BelvidereApollo was carried to France, was thought not unworthy of its place and pedestal.
In 1802 he was invited by Bonaparte to Paris to make the model of his colossal statue. Among the later works of the artist are a colossalGeorge Washington, the tombs of the Cardinal of York and of Pius VII; a Venus Rising from the Bath; the colossal group of Theseus Killing the Minotaur; the tomb of Alfieri; the Graces Rising from the Bath; a Dancing Girl; a colossalHector; a Paris, etc. After the second fall of Napoleon, in 1815, Antonio Canova was commissioned by the pope to demand the restoration of the works of art carried from Rome. He went from Paris to London, and returned to Rome in 1816, where he was made Marquis of Ischia, with a pension of 3000 scudi. Research Antonio Canova
Jean Louis Theordore Andre Gericault was a French painter. He was born in 1791 at Rouenamd died in 1824. He went to Paris in 1806 and studied under Charles Vernet and Guerin. His first pictures (the Chasseur Officer and the Wounded Cuirassier) were exhibited in 1812 and 1814. In 1817 he visited Italy, returned to Paris in 1819, and painted the Raft of the Medusa (a well-known shipwreck of the time), a work of much power, which won immediate popularity. Research Jean Gericault
In Greek mythology, the Gorgons; Stheino, Buryale, and Medusa, were daughters of Phorcys and Ceto. Two of them were believed to be immortal, while the third. Medusa, the youngest and most beautiful of them, was mortal. She loved Poseidon, and having met him once in the temple of Athene, to the desecration of that building, was punished by having her beautiful hair turned into snakes, thus making her appearance more ghastly than that of her sisters. Her face was terrible to behold, turning the spectator into stone. At last Perseus, finding her asleep, cut off her head with his curved sword, and presented it to Athene, who had assisted him in the enterprise, to be worn on her aegis or shield as a terror to her enemies.
The ancient poets describe the Gorgons generally as horrid, aged women, and frequently place them by the side of the Furies. In early times there was only one Gorgon - Medusa - instead of the three of later times. The winged horse, Pegasus, was the offspring of her and Poseidon. In art Perseus is represented standing with sword in one hand and the head of Medusa in the other, turning his face away to avoid seeing it. The subject of Perseus cutting off the head of Medusa occurs in one of the earliest examples of Greek sculpture - one of the metopes of the oldest temple at Selinus, in Sicily; and from the conventional manner in which her face is represented, compared with the other parts of the sculpture, it is agreed that the type must have been familiar for some time to Greek art. To possess a representation of a Gorgon' s face was to be provided with a charm against ills, and accordingly it was frequently employed as a personal ornament. Research Gorgons
Medusa was the youngest and most beautiful of the Gorgons. She loved Poseidon and desecrated the temple of Athene by meeting Poseidon there. For this she was punished by having her hair turned to snakes. The result was her appearance was so hideous to behold that it would turn the viewer to stone. Research Medusa
In Greek mythology, Perseus was son of Zeus by Danae, and was raised at the court of king Polydectes, at whose request he killed Medusa. Perseus found Medusa asleep and cut her head off. He married Andromeda, and upon his return used Medusa's head to turn Polydectes and his followers to stone, before presenting Medusa's head to Athene who had helped him in his quest to kill Medusa. While visiting Argos, Perseus accidentally killed Argos' mother. Perseus later became king of Tiryns and founded the dynasty of Perseidae. Research Perseus
The Medusa was a Dutch mine layer of 593 tons displacement launched in 1911. The Medusa was powered by coal fired engines providing a top speed of 12 knots and a range of 2304 km at 6 knots. She carried a complement of 53 and was armed with one 3 inch anti-aircraft gun; one 3 inch S.A. gun; two 12.7 mm anti-aircraft guns and one machine-gun. Research Medusa
HMS Medusa was a British unarmed coastal minelayer of 535 tons displacement launched in 1915. HMS Medusa had a top speed of 10 knots and carried a complement of 52 and 52 mines. Research Medusa II
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Woodland Ringlet
