Italian School of the 19th Century, Faun Playing the Flute

Italian school of the 19th century

Faun playing the flute

Carrara marble, height 57,5 cm

The young satyr is depicted in the act of playing the flute, as can be seen from the shape of his lips. The figure, erect, with his weight on his right leg, is unbalanced to the left by the strong inclination of the opposite hip and is leaning on a trunk on his left. The body is only partially covered by a wild animal skin that, tied on the right shoulder, crosses the chest diagonally and rests on the trunk. The legs are crossed, the left one is tense while the right one is bent and crossed over the other. The hair is made up of thick, messy curls. On the forehead, two small horns are visible that blend in with the hair. The figure of the satyr is presented in a more refined way, with none of the goat-like characteristics that distinguish him in much ancient iconography. Even the small horns are barely hinted at and covered by the messy hair. The model of the statue certainly coincides with the Faun playing the flute in the Galleria Borghese in Rome: the marble statue is most likely a Roman replica of a Hellenistic original: the influences are clear, both at the technical iconographic level, from the production of the great sculptors of the 4th century Praxiteles (Pliny the Elder in his writings refers to a sculpture of a satyr playing the flute by Praxiteles) and Lysippos. The relaxed attitude of the figure and the use of a supporting pillar would suggest a Praxiteles inspiration, while the three-dimensionality underlined by the crossing of the arms on the bust, which expresses an overcoming of classical ponderation, suggests the hand of Lysippos craftsmen. The way the faun is represented is also in line with the Hellenistic aesthetic: the theme, already present in art in the previous era, underwent an evolution that saw the progressive softening of the figure of the satyr.

The work in question is a 19th century variant of the ancient masterpiece: the anonymous 19th century Italian artist slavishly reproduces the forms of the Hellenistic masterpiece. The sinuous figure of the young faun is rendered with extreme skill by the master sculptor, who reproduces the glorious and famous models of the ancient to respond to the requests of the numerous aristocrats who, in the 19th century, included Rome among the privileged stages of their Grand Tours.