Description

Paolina Borghese

Paolina is depicted in the guise of a victorious Venus. The woman, in fact, in her left hand holds an apple that evokes the victory of Aphrodite in the judgment of Paris. Pauline-Venus is languidly semi-reclining on an agrippina, or a sofa equipped with a single arm, on which she rests her right arm. Her bust is naked, while the lower part of her body is wrapped in a light garment which, uncovering the attachment of the buttocks and emphasizing the folds of the groin, makes Paolina demure and sensual at the same time, loading the work of a great eroticism that would have been much less felt if the woman had been completely undressed. The divine features and the idealized face sublimate the body of Paolina outside of any earthly reality: it is returned to the human dimension only thanks to a special pink patina that Canova applied on the epidermal parts of the sculpture, in order to imitate the color of the complexion. and give the entire work a slight semblance of life. From a technical point of view, however, the statue of Paolina Borghese is characterized by the balance between the horizontal and vertical lines - described by the bed - and the diagonal ones (identified by the body of Paolina ) and by a calibrated alternation of solids and voids. The static nature of the sculpture is balanced by the twist of Paolina's face, which lends itself to a three-quarter view; the whole sculpture is also set on a fluid and sinuous line which, starting from the legs of Paolina-Venus, flexes in the verticality of her bust.

Period: 19th century

Technique: Sculpture

Materials: Marble

Dimensions: 66 x 39 x 23 cm

Origin: Italy

State of conservation: Good

Restorations: None