About this lot

Description

After the Antique, a late 19th century bronze model of the Dancing Faun of Pompeii, after the Roman original excavated in 1830, portrayed in ecstatic dance, with hands raised, with an oak and acorn wreath around his horned head, his tail issuing behind him 75cm (29in)
Other Notes: The House of Faun in Pompeii was built in the 2nd century BC. It was a private residence, covering over 3,000 square metres, and one of the largest and most expensive residencies in Pompeii. The villa was given its name from the bronze statue of a dancing faun situated in the impluvium (basin to catching rainwater) and visible from the street through the main doorway. The house, its mosaics and statues were perfectly preserved under the ash following the eruption of Vesuvius in AD79. The original bronze faun is now situated in the Archaeological Museum of Naples. It has been a favourite for reproduction; it was found complete, small in size and for the tastes of the 19th and 20th centuries, it was appealing that the faun seemed to be joyous rather than drunk.

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