
Factum Arte's facsimile of an album of drawings by Canova
The sketchbooks of Antonio Canova offer vital insight into the observational and working processes of the great neoclassical sculptor, but the fragility of these works on paper and vellum means that access to the originals, which are held in the Musei Civici dei Bassano del Grappa, is heavily restricted.
As part of Factum’s collaborative project with the Musei Civici to digitise their Canova collection, ten albums of drawings and eight notebooks have been recorded using high-resolution photography, and facsimiles have been made of two albums: Album A, an album of female poses, and Album B1, an album of male proportions. The drawings were photographed using lighting conditions carefully designed to capture the colour and texture of the original documents, and the resulting images will be presented online in a digital viewer, making this extraordinary body of work available to experts and the interested public alike. The facsimiles have been printed onto paper with the same textural qualities as the originals, and even the covers are indistinguishable from those which held together Canova’s drawings.
One of the sketchbooks recorded in the Museo Civico at Bassano del Grappa
One of the sketchbooks recorded in the Museo Civico at Bassano del Grappa
One of the sketchbooks recorded in the Museo Civico at Bassano del Grappa
One of the sketchbooks recorded in the Museo Civico at Bassano del Grappa
One of the sketchbooks recorded in the Museo Civico at Bassano del Grappa
A selection of drawings recorded from Antonio Canova's sketchbook
A selection of drawings recorded from Antonio Canova's sketchbook.
A selection of drawings recorded from Antonio Canova's sketchbook.
A selection of drawings recorded from Antonio Canova's sketchbook.
Digitizing Antonio Canova's drawings in the collection of the Museo Canova
Oak Taylor Smith digitized Antonio Canova's drawings.
Digitizing Antonio Canova's sketchbook
Processing the drawings
Processing the drawings
Processing the drawings
Processing the drawings

The cover of one of the facsimiles © Oak Taylor Smith for Factum Foundation
The facsimile albums © Oak Taylor Smith for Factum Foundation
The facsimile albums © Oak Taylor Smith for Factum Foundation
The facsimile albums © Oak Taylor Smith for Factum Foundation
The facsimile albums © Oak Taylor Smith for Factum Foundation
The facsimile albums © Oak Taylor Smith for Factum Foundation
The facsimile albums © Oak Taylor Smith for Factum Foundation
The facsimile albums © Oak Taylor Smith for Factum Foundation
The facsimile albums © Oak Taylor Smith for Factum Foundation
The facsimile albums © Oak Taylor Smith for Factum Foundation
The facsimile albums © Oak Taylor Smith for Factum Foundation
The facsimile albums © Oak Taylor Smith for Factum Foundation
The facsimile albums © Oak Taylor Smith for Factum Foundation
The facsimile albums © Oak Taylor Smith for Factum Foundation
The facsimile albums © Oak Taylor Smith for Factum Foundation
The facsimile albums © Oak Taylor Smith for Factum Foundation
Details of the facsimile albums © Oak Taylor Smith for Factum Foundation
Details of the facsimile albums © Oak Taylor Smith for Factum Foundation
Details of the facsimile albums © Oak Taylor Smith for Factum Foundation
Details of the facsimile albums © Oak Taylor Smith for Factum Foundation
The works were photographed by Oak Taylor Smith with the help of Paola Perozzo y Edoardo Zanollo, two students from IUAV.
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