Which neoclassical sculptor created the marble group "The Three Graces"?

Antonio Canova created the marble group “The Three Graces,” one of the best-known sculptures of European Neoclassicism.

The work represents the three Charites of Greek mythology: Euphrosyne, Aglaea and Thalia. They were associated with mirth, elegance and youthful beauty, and were said to preside over banquets and gatherings of the gods. Canova presents them as three intertwined figures, with linked arms, touching heads and a shared sense of balance.

Canova produced two major marble versions. The first was made for Joséphine de Beauharnais and is now in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg. John Russell, the sixth Duke of Bedford, later commissioned another version, completed between 1814 and 1817; it is jointly owned by the Victoria and Albert Museum and the National Galleries of Scotland.

The sculpture is often contrasted with more dramatic Baroque art. Rather than capturing a violent instant, Canova emphasizes stillness, polished surfaces, restrained emotion and idealized classical beauty—hallmarks of Neoclassical sculpture.