A monumental horse sculpture by Antonio Canova, one of Italy's most celebrated Neoclassical sculptors, has been restored to public view following an extensive restoration project that brought the artwork back from a half-century in storage. The sculpture, known as "Cavallo Colossale," had been housed at the Museo Civico di Bassano in increasingly deteriorating conditions since the late 1960s.
The Museo Civico di Bassano del Grappa originally acquired the impressive plaster sculpture in 1849 through Canova's brother, who arranged for numerous plaster casts, sketches, and other documents from the artist's estate to be transferred to the Veneto museum. According to Italian news site Finestre sull'Arte, the sculpture remained on public display for over a century before being moved into storage in the late 1960s, where its condition gradually became precarious.
Canova created the plaster model "Cavallo Colossale" between 1819 and 1821, painting it green to simulate the appearance of weathered bronze. The sculpture was intended to be part of an equestrian monument dedicated to Ferdinand I of Bourbon, the king of Naples. Tragically, Canova died in 1822, shortly after completing the model. The full monument was eventually finished by Antonio Calì in 1829 and installed in Naples' Piazza del Plebiscito.
The years-long restoration project required funding from multiple arts organizations and government agencies. The primary sponsors included the Italian bank Intesa Sanpaolo and the Venice in Peril fund, a British nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the cultural heritage of the Veneto region. Barbara Guidi, director of the Museo Civico, described the Canova restoration project to Finestre sull'Arte as "among the most spectacular and relevant Italian heritage restoration interventions of recent years."
The complex restoration work was carried out by Passarella Restauri, a company based in Vigonza. Their initial task involved removing foreign materials including brick fragments, metal pieces, and pottery that had likely been added to the sculpture during the 19th century after it arrived in Bassano del Grappa from Canova's Roman studio. The restoration team then faced the painstaking process of reassembling more than 200 fragments that comprised the original painted plaster model.
To ensure the sculpture's long-term stability and safety, Passarella Restauri collaborated with R.S. Ingegneria, an engineering firm from Padua, to construct a new internal metal framework. This structural support system was designed not only to bear the sculpture's considerable weight but also to protect it from potential earthquake damage.
The restored "Cavallo Colossale" is currently featured in the exhibition "Eternity and Vision: Rome and Milan, Capitals of Neoclassicism" at the Galleria d'Italia in Milan, where it will remain on display through April 6. Following the conclusion of this exhibition, the monumental horse sculpture will return to the Museo Civico in Bassano for long-term public display, marking its triumphant return to permanent view after decades in storage.
