A relief found in storage reveals how Canova imagined Nelson

In Canova’s design, Nelson first appears as an infant: Minerva, Neptune and Mars present him to England. The small plaster relief depicting that scene, recently identified in the stores of the Museo Gypsotheca Antonio Canova in Possagno, received its first public showing on 1 November. An inscription on its base identifies it as a relief for the model of the Nelson monument and records that the monument was never executed.

Curated by Paolo Mariuz, the exhibition follows the project from a letter of 1806 announcing the expected commission through to Canova’s drawings, painted designs and plaster model. Three restored reliefs in red wax on slate show Nelson’s birth, the landing of his body and his glorification. 1 November 2026 to 25 April 2027; ANSA preview⁠, 30 October.