Canova
Napoleon
1802-1806
Napoleon Bonaparte was ruler of Europe when the brilliant neoclassical sculptor Canova portrayed him on a heroic scale, and totally naked, as the war god Mars. He is posed in the deity's lesser role – "bringer of peace" – a transparent piece of propaganda that adds to this statue's unique blend of genius and absurdity. Napoleon was apparently embarrassed by it, but the British thought it was great. This statue of a national enemy was presented after Napoleon's downfall to his vanquisher, the Duke of Wellington, and can be seen to this day in the Iron Duke's art collection at London's Apsley House.
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