The Rediscovered Masterpiece

A landmark re-discovery, Antonio Canova’s ’Maddalena Giacente’ (Recumbent Magdalene) (1819-1822), is the Italian titan’s lost masterpiece, which he completed shortly before his death. The Recumbent Magdalene holds an important place in the canon of western sculpture as one of the last marbles executed by one of the greatest proponents of European marble carving. Canova was an undisputed master both in his compositional talents and in his ability to translate those compositions into marble.