Dancing Faun - After The Antique - Bronze

Inspired by an ancient type known through Roman copies, this sculpture draws on a Hellenistic model dating from the 3rd–2nd centuries BC, a model gradually rediscovered from the 17th century onward during excavations in Rome and its surroundings (notably at Hadrian’s Villa in Tivoli). The faun, a hybrid being half man and half goat and a companion of Dionysus, is depicted in a moment of lively dance, the body caught in an expressive twist. The composition emphasizes movement, asymmetry, and muscular tension, characteristic of Hellenistic aesthetics. The unstable pose, reinforced by the support beneath the foot, conveys an abandonment to intoxication and music. Through its naturalism and dynamism, the Faun with a Cymbal embodies a sensual and animated vision of the human body that exerted a lasting influence on sculpture and on artists of the Renaissance and Neoclassicism.

Master Model: In 19th-century bronze editions, the master model is the original reference model from which all casts intended for subsequent editions are made. It is generally composed of several assembled elements. These parts are held together by tenons and mortises, reinforced by internal metal dowels. This system allows for the creation, by disassembling the different parts, of molds intended for lost-wax casting or, more frequently in the 19th century, for sand casting, before a faithful reconstruction of the model. Thus, the master model is both a work of art and a technical tool, designed to be handled, disassembled, and reassembled without losing the fidelity of the original form.

The Dancing Faun, bronze master model equipped with retaining tenons.
Height: 58 cm