Paolina Borghese

A serendipitous encounter brought together Adam Lowe, founder of Factum Arte, and Giberto Arrivabene Valenti Gonzaga, founder of Giberto Venezia. Inspired by Giberto’s amber glass bust of Emperor Octavian Augustus, Adam Lowe contributed his advanced technological expertise to reimagine one of the masterpieces of Neoclassical art in glass.

They chose Antonio Canova’s “Pauline Bonaparte as Venus Victrix” (1805–1808), traditionally reproduced in marble, plaster, and bronze—but never before in glass. The result is an extraordinary sandblasted crystal glass sculpture, where light enhances the sensual elegance of Pauline’s form.

From 3D Scan to Silicone Cast

Using advanced 3D scanning technology, Factum Arte captured Canova’s original at the Galleria Borghese in Rome. With permission from the Italian Ministry of Culture, Giberto and Adam spent three nights inside the museum scanning every detail. The data were processed in Madrid to create a half-scale silicone cast (1:2) perfectly faithful to the original.

Murano Glass Casting and Lost-Wax Technique

The silicone model was transported to Murano, where master glassmaker Giorgio Giuman produced a rubber negative mould. Molten wax was poured, encased in steel, and covered with liquid plaster. Once hardened, the plaster was heated to melt the wax, leaving a precise cavity for the glass.

Lead Crystal Glass Pouring and Sandblasting

The mould was sent to a foundry in Empoli, where lead crystal glass (approx. 70 kg) was poured and tempered for a month in a dedicated kiln. After cooling, the sculpture returned to Murano for cleaning, refinement, and sandblasting, achieving its signature frosted-ice appearance.This work represents a unique synthesis of art, innovation, and tradition, merging Canova’s Neoclassical elegance with Murano glass craftsmanship and cutting-edge digital technology.

In 2016, Pauline Bonaparte was included in A World of Fragile Parts, the Victoria and Albert Museum’s contribution to the 15th Venice Architecture Biennale – Reporting from the Front (Arsenale, Venice, 28 May – 27 November 2016).

In September 2017, on the occasion of the inaugural edition of The Venice Glass Week, Pauline Bonaparte was presented at Galleria Palwer in Venice.

From 8 November 2017 to 28 October 2018, the three versions of Pauline Bonaparte were exhibited in the show Divina Paolina, curated by Mario Guderzo, at the Museo Antonio Canova in Possagno.

In 2018, the three versions of Pauline Bonaparte – in wax, plaster, and glass – were acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and are now permanently displayed in the the Exhibition Cast Courts.