Hecuba offering the Robe to Pallas

This is one of the scenes depicting episodes in epic poetry, for which Canova drew his inspiration from Cesarotti’s translations of Homer’s works. As in the scenes depicting the Death of Socrates, the sculptor completely foregoes narration, eliminating all decorative elements and focusing entirely on tersely rendering the event, with the intention of representing the classical spirit that is the well-spring of his art. The episode, taken from Canto VI of the Iliad, shows Queen Hecuba of Troy offering a robe to a sacred image of Pallas in the hope of gaining favour with the goddess. The long procession of veiled women that occupies the entire scene is considered one of the greatest achievements in this group of reliefs by Canova. The rendering of the kneeling maiden in the foreground is interesting in the sense that her physiognomy prefigures a wholly Romantic style.The bas-relief was reproduced in an engraving by Pietro Fontana (engraver) and Silvano Bossi (draughtsman): copperplate etching retouched with burin.