The Venetian sculptor Antonio Canova was one of Europe's most celebrated artists from the end of the ancien regime to the early years of the Restoration, an era when the traditional relationship between patrons and artists changed dramatically. This study explores the effects of patrons, patronage and politics on Canova's choice of subjects and manner of working, and his place in European art and political history. The book examines how Canova resisted the blandishments of the political powers that commissioned his works, and uses letters, diaries and biographies to establish a political personality for him as an individual and an artist of international reputation. The book aims to show how Canova was able to work for patrons who were avowed enemies, while remaining true to the cultural and artistic heritage of his Italian homeland.