Letizia Ramolino Bonaparte 1807

This sculpture of Letizia Ramolino Bonaparte was created by Antonio Canova using marble. Canova was a master of carving, bringing stone to life with incredible realism. The choice of marble is significant here. The stone had to be carefully selected for its purity and fine grain, and then painstakingly carved, sanded and polished. Marble dust would have been everywhere, and his team of assistants would have worked tirelessly to bring Canova's vision to life. It’s important to note that Canova was essentially running a workshop, and even though he would have delivered the final touches himself, a lot of the heavy lifting would have been done by other hands. This was, in effect, an industrial model of production, albeit one dedicated to the creation of luxury goods for the elite. So, next time you see a marble sculpture, think not only about the artistry but also about the labor, the dust, and the social context that made its creation possible.