Antonio Canova's monumental plaster horse sculpture, *Cavallo Colossale* (1819–21), has been restored and returned to public display after spending 50 years in storage at the Museo Civico di Bassano. The sculpture, acquired by the museum in 1849, had deteriorated in storage since the late 1960s. A multi-year restoration led by Passarella Restauri involved reassembling over 200 fragments, removing 19th-century additions, and installing a new internal metal frame for earthquake protection. The project was funded by Intesa Sanpaolo and the Venice in Peril fund.
The restoration matters because it rescues a major work by one of Italy's greatest Neoclassical sculptors, which had been inaccessible for decades. The sculpture is now featured in the exhibition “Eternity and Vision: Rome and Milan, Capitals of Neoclassicism” at the Galleria d’Italia in Milan, and will return to long-term display at the Museo Civico, ensuring public and scholarly access to an important piece of art history. The project is hailed as one of the most significant heritage restoration interventions in recent Italian history.