Master sculptor Fred X. Brownstein recreates Antonio Canova’s sculpture Venus using Canova’s unique 200-year-old techniques over the course of 6 months. How does Brownstein go from a foot-high clay sketch to a near-identical marble copy of one of Antonio Canova’s most famous sculptures? Watch this behind-the-scenes time lapse using Canova’s marble sculpting process to find out! Brownstein uses his hands and small, wooden tools to create a rough clay sketch model called a bozzetti. He then moves on to a full-scale modelli that is cast in plaster, creating a hollow mold. This mold, in turn, serves as the basis for a refined plaster model that’s copied into a marble version where Fred makes the final touches. Where Canova had a workshop with assistants, Fred did all of the sculpting himself! See Canova’s clay, plaster, and marble sculptures, including Venus, were featured in the Canova: Sketching in Clay exhibition that was open June 11 – October 9, 2023 at the National Gallery of Art.