Italian Grand Tour Bronze Sculpture “Dancing Faun of Pompeii” after Antique

GRAND TOUR VERDIGRIS PATINATED MODEL OF THE DANCING FAUN OF POMPEII

After the model of Antiquity
Italian, cast ca. 1900
With a fine verdigris patination and "ancient" surface treatment

31" H x 10 1/2" W x 9" D

The present cast of Dancing Faun was cast using the lost-wax method to model itself true-to-life after antiquity, the surface heavily weathered using chemicals to create the intense verdigris patination. It is a loose and naturalistic cast with zero obsession over details, instead modeled in a way to evoke a sense of the ancient, as if it has always existed. We have chosen to leave the model exactly as-found without sealing in wax, which can have a dampening effect on the patina, as the current surface is just too good to risk any change. Despite being a lost-wax cast, it was not cast entirely "in one piece" as often can be the benefit with that method of casting. The arms were cast separately, probably with sand molds, then joined to the body with a thin solder line; the base was also cast separately and the figure is attached through the base with threaded rod.

Condition: Nuanced and heavily oxidized patina showing natural wear and rubbing. Old solder visible in the joint of the arms. Ready to place.

Dancing Faun is one of the most renowned and truly iconic bronze sculptures to survive from ancient Rome. It was unearthed in 1830 during excavations of the House of the Faun in Pompeii and is believed to date to the 2nd century BCE. Once discovered, the fame of the small figure was nearly instantaneous, creating a sensation that gave the name to the house it was found in (House of the Dancing Faun, Pompeii). Its reputation was no doubt heightened by the many exquisite reproductions made of the model and sold to wealthy Grand Tourists - a reproduction by Fonderia Sommer was installed in the House of the Dancing Faun, allowing visitors to have a sense of how visitors to the house would have encountered the sculpture. Cast in bronze using the lost-wax technique, the faun would have been an expensive commission, likely intended to display the wealth and cultural refinement of the villa’s owner. Though Roman, the figure is almost certainly a copy of a Hellenistic work.

The sculpture depicts a faun captured in an energetic dance. The figure’s twisting contrapposto torso, raised arms, and lifted heel give it a sense of movement and spontaneity that reflects the artistic interests of the period, especially the fascination with expressive and lifelike forms. An early catalog of the Naples museum noting the figure as being ecstatic and not inebriated, like most faun depictions, no doubt helped ease its introduction into collections and homes.

The original sculpture is held in the permanent collection of the Museo Archeologico Nazionale in Naples.

Literature:
Taste and the Antique, Haskell & Penny, Yale, 1981, p. 208-209, fig. 107

ref. 606DPA18C