Via delle Colonnette/Via Antonio Canova Attached to the walls of what was once the house-cum-studio of the great neo-classical sculptor Antonio Canova (1757-1822) are numerous fragments of ancient sculptures plus three plaques. Two of the plaques bear the years 1822 and 1871, while the third is inscribed with the date 1 Gennaro MMDCLXX (January 1st, 2670). This doesn't seem to make much sense until one remembers that in ancient Rome the years were often calculated Ab Urbe Condita (A.U.C.), from the founding of the city. The traditional year for the foundation of Rome was 753 BCE, which makes the year on the plaque 1916, the 2,670th year since the city was founded. The bronze bust of Canova is the work of the Roman sculptor Ettore Ferrari (1845-1931). Comments are closed.
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My name is David Lown and I am an art historian from Cambridge, England. Since 2001 I have lived in Italy, where I run private walking tours of Rome.
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