Carlo Finelli. 1821. Life-sized marble group by the neoclassical master, now in the Hermitage. The piece was inspired by Canova’s The Three Graces, which Finelli revered. Group pictured here completed 2026.
Casts of Finelli’s work are exceptionally rare, as the artist, in his final illness, ordered the destruction of every plaster in his studio. Only two casts of The Dancing Hours are known: our own, and the one Finelli gave to the Accademia di Belle Arti di Carrara. Ours was acquired when Cervietti bought out the important Palla gipsoteca.