Antonio Canova. L'invenzione della bellezza. Fotografie di Mimmo Jodice. Con Pensieri di Antonio Canova su le Belle Arti raccolti da Melchior Missirini. Biografía artística contemporánea de Antonio Canova, esculto Hércules Cavalli. An Address to the President and Members of the Royal Academy on the Death of Signor Canova, Marquis of Ischia, John Flaxman. Canova et ses ouvrages ou Mémoires historiques sur la vie et les travaux de ce célèbre artiste, Quatremère de Quincy.

Large folio, 71 x 44 x 11 cm, paper dim.: 68 x 41,5 cm, weight: 25 kg.

Beautiful publisher's binding in gilt brocade with gold threads on wooden boards by L'Arte del Libro di Bruno Superti (Todi) on 18th-century looms after Luigi Bevilacqua (Venezia), sculpted bas-relief in Carrara Fantiscritti marble (60,3 x 42,3 x 2,6 cm) figuring "Le Grazie e Venere danzano davanti a Marte" after Canova, integrated in front board and numbered XXV/XXV on the side (transversal split expertly repaired on lower part), flat spine, gilt edges, marbled flyleaves in the same range of colours as the brocade (gold, brown, gilt and grey). Gilt velvet cushion with gold threads.

Sumptuous illustrated work of art, in praise of the master sculptor Antonio Canova, the first ambassador of the "bellezza italiana", executed by the "Fondazione culturale Marilena Ferrari" at the request of Silvio Berlusconi at the occasion of the 35th G8 summit held in L'Aquila in 2009. A first series of 10 copies numbered 1-10 containing among others the manuscript national anthem of each nation were offered to the Chiefs of State (S. Berlusconi, B. Obama, N. Sarkozy, A. Merkel, S. Harper, T. Asō, D. Medvedev, G. Brown, J. M. Barroso and Fr. Reinfeldt). A second series of 30 copies signed by the artist Mimmo Jodice and editor Marilena Ferrari was published: 25 numbered in Roman numerals (ours is n. XXV), available for collectors through FMR and 5 lettered not for sale. The last five were donated to institutions worldwide (i.a. the Royal Collection Trust, National Library of Spain and The Museum Gypsotheca Antonio Canova in Possagno).
The "opera d'arte in forma di libro" caused suprise among the state leaders as much for the beauty of the book as for its weight, Obama joked about it saying to his body man: "Reggie, it’s your duty to carry this book, you know, don’t you? I don’t know how you are going to fit it into your luggage. Good luck!".
The book, gathering the collaboration of 23 artisans working together like in the Rinascimento, displays 76 splendid photographs in black and white (40 on double page, 36 on single page) by the Neapolitan photographer Mimmo Jodice depicting some of Canova's masterpieces bringing out all the finesse of his sculptures (Dedalus and Icarus, Cupid and Psyche embracing, Italic Venus, Three Graces...), a portrait of Canova in colour after Thomas Lawrence's painting as frontispiece, 14 tempera paintings in colour inspired by Pompei (8 on double page, 6 on single page), 5 copper-engr. full-pages in black ("Venere vincitrice", Georges Washington, Leopoldina Esterházy, "La Concordia" and Ferdinand I, King of the Two Sicilies), and 10 reproductions of sketches in-text. The panel on the binding was sculpted with the same marble from the same quarry of Fantiscritti di Carrara as used by Canova. Texts in Italian, English, Spanish and French printed in Bodoni types on vellum paper with a special "Antonio Canova" watermark.
The intention of this prestigious high-level public relation project was to represent the synthesis of two major Italian excellences: the immense artistic and cultural heritage of Italy and its centuries-old high craftsmanship tradition. "These works of art represent the absolute epitome of Italian craftsmanship", as resumed Marilena Ferrari from FMR, adding "Such books [...] are intended to equal - even surpass - the artistic quality of those produced as early as the 15th century". A "capolavoro" in the career of Berlusconi, where his "talents" for politics and media culminated. A unique opportunity certainly not to miss!
Prov. Copy offered to a high-placed representative of FMR editions and exhibited at the Italian Embassy in Tokyo in 2015.