Faun with Flute

ClassificationsSCULPTURE

Date1530s

Mediumbronze

Dimensions17 3/4 in. (45.1 cm.)

DescriptionThis statuette portrays a youthful faun playing the flute. The faun leans against a tree crossing his left leg over the right. A lion's skin falls over his left arm and partially covers the tree stump.

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. The Arabella D. Huntington Memorial Art Collection.

Status

On view

Label TextRenaissance patrons sought objects for their homes that both embodied their culture and refinement and served as sources of delectation and contemplation. Often made in imitation of classical sculpture, either as reduced copies of known sculptures or invented subjects produced all'antica (in the style of antiquity), small bronzes contributed to the spread of classical taste in the 15th and 16th centuries. A collector would likely have kept such statuettes in a private study along with books and other objects of fascination, such as scientific instruments or natural specimens.

Object number17.6