{"meta":{"version":"2.1","_links":{"self":{"href":"https://api.vam.ac.uk/v2/object/O127045"},"collection_page":{"href":"https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O127045/"}},"images":{"_primary_thumbnail":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2021MY2344/full/!100,100/0/default.jpg","_iiif_image":"https://framemark.vam.ac.uk/collections/2021MY2344/","_alt_iiif_image":[],"imageResolution":"high","_images_meta":[{"assetRef":"2021MY2344","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2021MY2358","copyright":"© Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false},{"assetRef":"2017KA3990","copyright":"©Victoria and Albert Museum, London","sensitiveImage":false}]},"see_also":{"_iiif_pres":"https://iiif.vam.ac.uk/collections/O127045/manifest.json","_alt_iiif_pres":[]}},"record":{"systemNumber":"O127045","accessionNumber":"A.34-1928","objectType":"Relief ","titles":[{"title":"Portrait of an unidentified man","type":"generic title"}],"summaryDescription":"The identity of the sitter remains unknown, but the fact that it is signed by Canova suggests it was a work of some note. It may have been a portrait of a friend of the sculptor, and was perhaps intended to form part of a larger sepulchral monument. On acquisition, it was thought this relief may have depicted Julius Caesar. However, later study of the relief ruled out this suggestion, as the portrait is not related to any known depictions of the Emperor.","physicalDescription":"Relief in mable of the head of a unknown man. A loose drapery round the shoulders.","artistMakerPerson":[{"name":{"text":"Canova, Antonio","id":"A8217"},"association":{"text":"sculptor","id":"x43862"},"note":""}],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[{"text":"marble","id":"AAT11443"}],"techniques":[],"materialsAndTechniques":"","categories":[{"text":"Sculpture","id":"THES48896"},{"text":"Portraits","id":"THES48906"},{"text":"Reliefs","id":"THES49035"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"SCP","id":"THES48600"},"images":["2021MY2344","2021MY2358","2017KA3990"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"22","id":"THES49843"},"free":"","case":"WS","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"relief","id":"AAT53622"}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[{"place":{"text":"Rome","id":"x29106"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"productionDates":[{"date":{"text":"1786","earliest":"1786-01-01","latest":"1786-12-31"},"association":{"text":"made","id":"x28654"},"note":""}],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"52.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"42","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"","marksAndInscriptions":[{"content":"\"CANOVA FECIT 1786\"","inscriber":{"name":{"text":"","id":""},"association":{"text":"","id":""}},"date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"description":"","interpretation":"","language":"","medium":"","method":"","position":"","script":"","translation":"","transliteration":"","type":"","note":""}],"objectHistory":"","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Relief, marble, Portrait of an unidentified man, by Antonio Canova, Italian, 1786","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Maclagan, Eric and Longhurst, Margaret H. <font -u>Catalogue of Italian Sculpture.</font> London, 1932. p. 167."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Pope-Hennessy, John. <font -u>Catalogue of Italian Sculpture in the Victoria and Albert Museum.</font> London: HMSO, 1964. cat. no. 703. fig. no. 697."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Hughes, P. <font -u>Catalogue of Furniture. The Wallace Collection.</font> I. London, 1996. Introduction, fig. 4."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Cook, R., Martin, G. Preliminary investigation into discolourations occuring in white marble. <font -u>Recent advances in the conservation and analysis of artifacts: University of London Institute of Archarology Jubilee conservation conference.</font> July 1987. pp. 359-364."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Pavanello, G. <font -u>L'opera completa del Canova.</font> Milan, 1976. p. 94-95. cat. 45."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Cf. Watson, F. J. B. Lord Hertford and the Musée Retrospectif of 1865. <font -u>Apollo.</font> 81. 1965. p. 437."},{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"Luigi Coletti (ed.), Mostra Canoviana (exh. cat. Treviso, 15 september -10 november 1957), Treviso, 1957, p. 38, repr. (as Canova, Potrait of Caesar). "}],"production":"","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[{"text":"man","id":"x35641"}],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[{"text":"Antonio Canova (1757–1822)\r\nRelief portrait of an unidentified man\r\nSigned and dated 1786\r\n\nCanova signed this relief but the identity of the sitter is not known. He may have been a friend of the artist and the work was perhaps intended to form part of a funerary monument. Like Theseus and the Minotaur nearby, this is one of Canova’s earliest works. He later became the most celebrated sculptor in Europe and the most influential Neo-classical artist of his time.\n\r\nRome\r\nMarble","date":{"text":"2021","earliest":"2021-01-01","latest":"2021-12-31"}},{"text":"This is signed by Canova, but the identity of the sitter remains unknown. He may have been a friend of the sculptor. The work was perhaps intended to form part of a funerary monument. ","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null}}],"partNumbers":["A.34-1928"],"accessionNumberNum":"34","accessionNumberPrefix":"A","accessionYear":1928,"otherNumbers":[],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE"],"assets":["2019LN3037","2019LN5663","2019LT1082","2019LU5338"],"recordModificationDate":"2025-04-16","recordCreationDate":"2006-08-14","availableToBook":false}}