The Alexandria herald. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1811-1826, 1823-01-01
DEATH OF CANovA.

inc uhoS' hnpoItSnt iDtclllSence de-
rived from Europe is the death of the
celebrated sculptor, Canova. The fol.
lowing extracts, taken from English pa
pers, respecting him, will be read with
interest:
From gentleman at Yenicc.
Oct IL, 8 o'clock. Sent my servant to
inquire for Canova's health. Halt past
8, or before 9, returncd-I was in hopes
with Canova's thanks, and that he was
better; but no--Ihat he was dead Ca
nova died about 10 minutes before 8.
10 O'Clock. Went 10 Canova's house.
The professors, they SAID, we're come. [
was ushered into the, chamber of death.
Canova's body was covered, except bis
head, and at the head stood professor
my feelings sicken--covering the NOR.
tai part Of Canova with plaster of rnis
to take CAST ID two seconds repres.
sed my indignation, recovered my senses,
and forced myself, with foreigners, to as
sumo tone, or rather manner, w hich
Ill accorded with the genuine and native
feelings OF my heart. Coffee was hand
ed TO me, and different statutes were dis.
cussed, as If CaDova himself had been
sleeping. Approaching nearer the bed,
| saw, and seeing, took hold of his right
hand. Death had not yet stiffened the
nerves, nor had the blood become en-
tirely colourless. His thumb Law con.
cealed by the position of the hand. was
touching it, but coult: only see that Fart
Of 1t which had wrought such miracles
Alter this, was i'll prepared to re dis
cuss any OF this great mans works, and
slid gently on. of the room. For few
seconds sat down in the anti-room, next
to Canova's bed room, till the entrance
OF different persons reused me to a diff
ierent scene. An Inspector from the no.
lice entered, with an air which said-.ssI
am here Of right and oil CONSEQUENCE.
and as matter of business" Sitsinr
down with pen and ink. and taking out
printed form, not forgetting his snuff. box
which seemed more necessary than eth
er, hc began number of polite questions
No one OF feeling could detail the hard
dry skeleton of this form. One coinci-
dence struck me; door opened ser
want passed across the room with down
cast and blood-shot eyes. 1t was Cano.
vas own body servant. When, tappine
his box, heard the police officer repeat
ahirtcen different orders, I think Won
said {" This question was put to the
bystanders. know not their names.
they were people Of the house no con.
nexions, but of locality alone. The poor
servant had passed on, thinking little and
caring less about all the decorations this
world could bestow. People began to
enter the antiroom. The questions of
curiosity i'll suited the scene, and lcft il
as quietly as l had entered. The feeling
which led me there was 10 know the Ger.
tainty. Canova is to be opened to-mor.
row. My servant says that the dust from
the chiseI was the primary, mean dis
tant, cause of his death but on this poi1,
am not informed.
The ensuing scanty particulars of his
biography are given in work by a lady
entitled "Rome ia the Nineteenth Centu-
ry."
Canova was born at Passagno, small
village in the Venetian territory, of pa.
rents, whose poverty disabled them from
giving to the genius his earliest youth
displayed the usual cultivation orSencour.
agement. But he resolutely struggled
with every fFicLlty, and finally triunsph-
ed over his fate.
At the age OF fourteen, having obtain
ed the long wished for boon of small
piece of marble, he sculptured out of it
two baskets Of fruit, which are now Oh
the staircase OF the Pallazzo Farsetti, at
Venice,
Ehe next year, when only fifteen, he
executed Eurydice, his first statue, in a
species ofsoft stone, called Pietro Dolce.
found in the vicinity Of Vicenza and,
three years after, Orpbeus, both OF which
are in the Villa Falier near AsoIa, town
about fifteen miles from Treviso.
His first groupe in marble, that Of
D3dalus and fcarus, he finished at the
age oftwenty, and brought with him to
Rome, where he vainly solicited the pat
ronage OF the Venetian Ambassador,
and OF many of the great; but when al
most reduced to despair, without money
or friends, he became known to Sir
WI lillian Hamilton, whose discernment
Immediately saw the genius ofthe young
artist, and whose liberality furnished him
with the means of prosecuting his stu
dies, and of establishing himself as an ar
list in Rome. To this, his first patron,
and to all his family, Canova has thro'
life manifested the warmest gratitude.
THROUGH Sir William HaoniIt,,, HE