See a Sculptor Recreate Antonio Canova’s “Venus” Step-By-Step, From Clay to Marble

Master sculptor Fred X. Brownstein recreates Antonio Canova’s sculpture “Venus” using Canova’s unique 200-year-old techniques over the course of 6 months.

How does Brownstein go from a foot-high clay sketch to a near-identical marble copy of one of Antonio Canova’s most famous sculptures? Watch this behind-the-scenes time lapse using Canova’s marble sculpting process to find out! 

Brownstein uses his hands and small, wooden tools to create a rough clay sketch model called a bozzetti. He then moves on to a full-scale modelli that is cast in plaster, creating a hollow mold. This mold, in turn, serves as the basis for a refined plaster model that’s copied into a marble version where Fred makes the final touches.  

Where Canova had a workshop with assistants, Fred did all of the sculpting himself!