The Museo Atelier Canova Tadolini

Alongside Babuino himself (earlier blog entry, see "smiles on the Spanish Steps"), in Via del Babuino, between the Piazza di Spagna and Piazza del Popolo, there appeared a curious eating place.

We have generally avoided, unless legs defeated, eating in the centre of tourist things. Legs were nearing defeat and curiosity overwhelmed. At the entry it seems improbable. One says to oneself, well it may be fake but whoever suggested that Margaret Thatcher at Madame Tussaud's is not a fake. So we were walking into a jumble, a bigger jumble than that mess in the Roman Forum.

One is not aware immediately
that the massive figure on horseback one is approaching is Simon Bolivar, the 'real' figure being in Lima, Peru. Apart from the one in Caracas and the other in San Francisco.

We sat and ate, as did others, under the watchful gaze of Pope Leo XIII

and an unknown (to us) watcher of table manners

The menu says we are in the Museo Atelier Canova Tadolini

and here up on a shelf out of the way is a smaller version of that in the Borghese Gallery—

 Pauline Borghese née Bonaparte, who appears to be rubbing noses with... could it be V.I. Lenin?

He looks happy, but they lived in different times. Otherwise, maybe, maybe. 

click on images to enlarge

The menu assisted understanding that this had been the Tadolini atelier, used also by Canova.

Here on the web I learned that in his Roman Walks, 1829, Stendhal set out a ten day walking program for Rome and suggested this place on day 4. 

I also learned from the first link in the previous paragraph that in 1805 in Bologna Napoleon came upon Adamo Tadolini sculpting and asked "who was your teacher". Tadolini said Canova and Nap said then we must go to see this Canova in Rome. This was Canova's atelier until 1818 when he passed it to Tadolini and it remained in the Tadolini family as workshop until 1967.  Photos below show the way in which there are bits of this and that scattered. 

But we remain with an interesting question. 

Canova's famous nude figure of Napoleon's sister in the Borghese Gallery was done by Canova between 1805 and 1808. Did Napoleon, hastening from Bologna to Rome in 1805 make a recommendation of sculptor or did he, rushing in on artist and model, have to say "Oh I see you two have already met."

If you know the answer, please comment below!

I think the date on the newspaper is 1953,
it says that in a few days, as long awaited by Romans,
there will be a declaration of this atelier of four generations of Tadolini, with the ghost of Canova
as a national monument. Perhaps someone reading this will find out and comment below.

The food was better than museum cafe standard, 

and I've never been in a museum cafe up close to art, like this.

Prices modest, especially if you build in a bit for the location!

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With all those bits of work on the wall I'm reminded of the Casa dell'Architetto

in Mantova we hoped to stay in once, but have failed to do so.  

It is the former arcitectural studio of the father of the present apartment host.