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George Washington

George Washington is a marble statue by Antonio Canova depicting the American president dressed as a Roman general. Commissioned by the state of North Carolina in 1815, the work was completed five years later and installed in the North Carolina Senate on 24 December 1821. It was Canova’s only work made for the United States. Both the building and the sculpture were destroyed by fire on 21 June 1831. The plaster model of the statue is preserved at the Canova Gypsotheca in Possagno.

Seated George Washington sculpture in white stone, holding a stylus and tablet, with an information panel beside it.
George Washington sculpture shown seated in ancient-style military attire, with an information panel at left.
© · Public domain
George Washington by Canova, shown as a seated classical figure holding a stylus and tablet.
George Washington by Canova, depicted as a seated classical figure with a tablet and stylus.
© Popular Graphic Arts · Public domain
Black-and-white drawing of George Washington seated in classical Roman attire beside a tall inscribed tablet.
George Washington shown as a seated classical statue with a tablet and stylus.
© Popular Graphic Arts · Public domain
George Washington seated in classical attire, holding a pen and writing on a tablet.
George Washington is shown seated in classical dress, writing on a tablet.
1796 © Rijksmuseum · CC0
George Washington seated in classical attire, writing on a tall tablet beside an ornate chair.
George Washington shown seated in a classical sculptural depiction, holding a stylus and tablet.
© Rijksmuseum · CC0

Identification

TitleGeorge Washington
Typelife-size marble statue
Alternative titleMonument to George Washington
Common nameGiorgio Washington; George Washington

Historical context

Date completed1820
Date installed24 December 1821
Date commissionedDecember 1815

Creator

ArtistAntonio Canova
Artist nationalityVenetian-Italian
Artist movementNeoclassical
Pedestal makerRaimondo Trentanove
Pedestal maker relationshipCanova's student; son of Antonio Trentanove

Discovery and provenance

Model for the headMarble bust of George Washington by Giuseppe Ceracchi; Thomas Appleton owned a plaster copy
Model locationGipsoteca Canoviana in Possagno
TransportSent from Italy by a United States Navy ship requested by Governor Miller; delivered to Boston by Commodore William Bainbridge on 22 July 1821; arrived in Raleigh on 24 December 1821
Work began1817
Preparatory worksSeveral sketches and maquettes (modellos or bozzettos) were made
Work locationCanova's studio in Rome
Governor involved in commissionWilliam Miller
Negotiated byThomas Appleton, American consul in Livorno, Italy
Commissioned bythe state of North Carolina
AdviserThomas Jefferson

Physical characteristics

MaterialCarrara marble
PoseSeated
PedestalSeparate pedestal of white marble with four bas-reliefs, made by Raimondo Trentanove

Appearance

Objects at feetA sword and a baton
InscriptionAn epigraph was engraved on the tablet, and an inscription in Italian was on the base, but the texts are not given in the fragment
Objects heldA tablet in the left hand and a quill in the right hand
DepictionDressed all'antica as a Roman general in ancient Roman military armor

Iconography and meaning

Pedestal relief 1The surrender of British General Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown, with Washington in victory
Pedestal relief 2Washington's resignation as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army to Congress
Pedestal relief 3Washington's election as President of the United States
Pedestal relief 4Washington with a plow at Mount Vernon, like Cincinnatus returning to private life
InterpretationA modern Cincinnatus drafting his farewell address to the nation

Location and ownership

Original installation siteRotunda of the North Carolina Senate building (State House) in Raleigh, North Carolina
Original installation ceremonyInstalled at an official ceremony attended by Governor Jesse Franklin and the legislature; dedicated by Colonel William Polk
Current location of originalDestroyed

History and restoration

Viewer commentIn March 1825, the Marquis de Lafayette said the likeness was much better than he had expected
Marble copyA marble copy by Romano Vio was made in 1970 and is in the rotunda of the North Carolina State Capitol in Raleigh; the Capitol stands on the same site as the former state house
Replacement plaster replicaA plaster replica was sent by the Italian government in 1910 and is now at the North Carolina Museum of History
Cause of destructionDestroyed by fire during fireproofing work when workers accidentally set the roof on fire while soldering nail heads to zinc sheets
Artist did not see installationCanova died in Venice in 1822 before the sculpture was installed in North Carolina
Contemporary description of fireDescribed as a "terrible conflagration" / "Awful conflagration!" in The Raleigh Register on 23 June 1831
Destroyed object(s)The sculpture and the Senate building (state house)
Destruction date21 June 1831

Significance

DistinctionThe only work Canova made for the United States

Other

Related exhibitionCanova's George Washington, Frick Collection, 23 May 2018 to 23 September 2018, then Musei Canova, 10 November 2018 to 22 April 2019; included sketches/models and a full-size plaster model borrowed from Museo Canova in Possagno
Related artistsGiuseppe Ceracchi (marble bust of Washington); R. Trentanove (bas-reliefs on the pedestal)
Related imageLithograph of the original statue and pedestal in the rotunda of the North Carolina State House