I piedi romani di Antonio Canova. Due frammenti di sculture colossali nella Gypsotheca di Possagno: inquadramento storico-archeologico e indagini archeometriche

Antonio Canova's collection of antiquities has been studied for some time. However, two of the most remarkable sculptures have remained largely unpublished: these are two colossal marble feet, one male and one female, documented in the artist's house in Possagno since the early 19th century. The male foot is adorned with a shoe of the so-called "lingula type," an Italic invention from the 3rd century BCE that was later exported to Asia Minor. This footwear was used for representations of historical figures (such as philosophers and poets) as well as statues depicting deities. The shoe of the female foot is known as the "yoke typus," which has been common in sculpture since the classical period. The dimensions of these two feet suggest that they likely belonged to acrolithic statues, composed of heads and limbs in marble combined with other materials, such as fabric or metal, supported by a wooden structure. It is probable that both feet originated from Rome, like the majority of the sculptures in Canova's collection.