Born in 1775 in Crespano to Francesco and Angela Zardo (mother of Antonio Canova, who lost his father Pietro in 1761 and remarried), Giovanni Battista Sartori Canova owes his formidable education to the studies and training he received at the Bishop’s Seminary of Padua. He became a skilled translator of Aramaic, a fine connoisseur of ancient Greek and Latin, and a great enthusiast of the art of oratory; all qualities that did not go unnoticed by Canova, who decided to bring him to Rome in May 1800, establishing a fundamental partnership for both.
Sartori himself followed his brother on his numerous trips to Paris, Vienna, and London; just to mention the most prestigious examples: Canova had Sartori by his side when he went to London in 1815 to see the marbles by Lord Elgin; as well as in Paris in 1815 for the recovery of the Napoleonic war booty, consisting of hundreds of stolen masterpieces of Italian art, primarily from the Vatican Museums.
It was precisely on this occasion that the collaboration and mutual integration between the two brothers emerged, historically and manifestly. Despite the great friendship between the two and the importance of Sartori’s presence, already openly recognized during Canova’s artistic and cultural life, there were those who attempted to overshadow, if not even tarnish, the image of the skilled secretary.
The Death of Canova and His Will
In particular, regarding the issue of Canova’s will and his executors; the substantial modification was the total transfer of assets to the half-brother: “given the grand works of the Temple recently begun, and given the necessity to concentrate the direction of the enterprise in a single individual, this individual should be the abbot, appointed as universal heir; but he should employ the aforementioned estate in the construction of the Temple, after which he would have the duty, (…) to execute the provisions of the will of Rome that remained intact. (…) The testator left the abbot the right and freedom to make ‘those exceptional alterations – thus the text – that for reasons subsequently arisen it would result that they should take place according to the intentions” (Malamani, cited).
After the death of Antonio Canova, Abbot Sartori decided to leave Rome, despite being offered prestigious honorary positions, and preferred to settle back home, but this did not prevent him from obtaining important honorary titles, among which the appointment as Bishop of Mindo in 1826 by Leo XII is especially remembered.
The Return to Possagno
The decision to return home was a true fortune for the places of Canova’s origin and formation. It is due to the efforts of the abbot the completion of the works of the Temple of Possagno and the collection of the best plasters of Canova’s works, stored in the Roman studio, transporting them to Possagno and specifically building a museum for them; then donating it to the Municipality of Possagno along with the Birthplace, with the declared request to maintain and preserve the Canovian heritage.
He is also responsible for the construction of the avenue and the square of the Temple. Furthermore, he contributed to the opening of the Canova College here by the Cavanis Fathers (November 1, 1857). Crespano also benefited, both with bequests of land and with public utility works. The Treviso and Padua Seminaries also received significant donations. The Municipality of Asolo received the statue of Paris as a gift. The Museum of Bassano del Grappa also received several artworks of significant value from Sartori, belonging to the personal collections of Canova.
Finally, Sartori ordered to be buried “in the area that encloses the ashes of his brother who was and is always the sacred and tender object of his heart on this earth.” In this monumental tomb, he wanted these sacred words to be added: “Quamodo in vira sua dilexerunt se; ita et in morte non sunt separati.”
