Canova's "Venus Italica" was created to replace which stolen ancient statue?

Canova’s Venus Italica was created to replace the stolen ancient Venus de’ Medici. French forces removed the celebrated Medici Venus from Florence and sent it to France in 1802, prompting a commission for Antonio Canova.

The Venus de’ Medici was a famous Hellenistic marble displayed in the Uffizi’s Tribune. Its removal was part of the Napoleonic seizure of artworks from across Europe. Canova was initially asked to make a copy, but he ultimately produced a new interpretation rather than simply reproducing the ancient statue. His sculpture shows Venus standing demurely after bathing, with a softer, more animated pose.

The title “Italica” carried patriotic meaning: it presented a modern Italian Venus in response to the removal of Italy’s artistic heritage. The work reached Florence in 1812 and was displayed in the Uffizi. When the original Venus de’ Medici returned from Paris in 1815, Canova’s sculpture was moved to the Pitti Palace, where it remains associated with Florence’s collections.

The other options are famous classical works, but none was the statue Canova’s Venus was commissioned to replace.