The Barberini Faun (220 BCE)

The Barberini Faun is one of the most immediate and sensual sculptures in the Glyptothek in Munich. It shows a young, powerful satyr who has collapsed onto a rock after a night of wine and dancing. He rests halfway between sleep and wakefulness, legs spread wide, one arm bent over his head and his mouth slightly open. A small horse’s tail and a wreath of ivy reveal that he belongs to the retinue of Dionysus. The sculpture is both realistic and provocative – and it has fascinated viewers for centuries precisely because it does not hide either exhaustion or desire.

From Hellenistic Workshops to Hadrian’s Mausoleum

The sculpture was created around 220 BCE, during the Hellenistic period. It is attributed to an unknown sculptor of the Pergamene school – the artistic environment that developed in the city of Pergamon under the Attalid dynasty. The style is characterised by dramatic anatomy, emotional expression and compositions that work from several angles.

It was discovered in the 1620s in the moat beneath Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome, the former mausoleum of the emperor Hadrian. The works were carried out under Pope Urban VIII (Maffeo Barberini). An older theory, going back to Johann Joachim Winckelmann, has suggested that the sculpture may have been thrown down from the mausoleum in 537 during Belisarius’ defence against the Goths – but this is not proven. When it was rediscovered it was badly damaged: the right leg was completely missing, as were parts of the arms and certain areas of the head.

When a Cardinal, a Pope and a Bavarian Crown Prince Met

After its discovery the sculpture quickly entered the possession of the Barberini family. Cardinal Francesco Barberini, nephew of Urban VIII, already owned it in 1628. It became one of the most admired ancient statues in Rome and was early on compared with the Belvedere Torso. When the family later needed money it was sold in 1799 to the sculptor and restorer Vincenzo Pacetti. The family regretted the sale and sued – and after a long process Pacetti was forced to return it.

In 1813/1814 it was finally purchased by Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria (later King Ludwig I). Italian antiquarians and artists, including Antonio Canova, tried to stop the export. Despite this the sculpture arrived in Munich around 1820. Ludwig had already commissioned the architect Leo von Klenze to design a special hall in the Glyptothek for it. The museum opened in 1830, and the faun has been one of the main attractions ever since.

A Satyr that Reflects Both the World of the Gods and Human Senses

Satyrs were male nature spirits in Greek mythology and constant companions of Dionysus, the god of wine, intoxication and theatre. They symbolised the uncontrolled side of life – drunkenness, music, dance and sexual desire. In early Greek art they often had horse’s ears, a horse’s tail and sometimes horse’s legs. Over time they became more human-like, but always retained something animalistic in their expression.

The Romans called similar beings fauns (after the god Faunus). Fauns were more often depicted with goat’s legs and horns. The Barberini Faun is actually a satyr: the body is almost entirely human, but the small horse’s tail (visible mainly from behind) and the ivy wreath reveal its identity. The pose – with the legs apart and the genitals clearly exposed – underlines the satyr’s freedom from social conventions. At the same time the furrowed face and the tense musculature show that the sleep is not entirely peaceful. It is precisely this mixture of exhaustion and restlessness that makes the sculpture so alive.

In Hellenistic art the focus shifted from the idealised heroes of the Classical period to more varied, psychological and sensual subjects. The Barberini Faun is an excellent example of that shift. One scholar (Jean Sorabella) has also suggested that it may represent the very satyr captured by King Midas in the myth – a drunken and therefore capturable creature.

Marble, Measurements and the Living Surface

The sculpture is carved in marble. The total height is approximately 215 cm (84.6 inches). The ancient core is somewhat lower – around 178–181 cm (about 70–71 inches) – because certain parts are later additions. The surface is carefully worked: muscles, tendons and skin folds are rendered with great realism, and the hair has a lively, irregular treatment typical of Pergamene sculpture.

There are no known ancient copies of this particular statue. This has been interpreted as a sign that it is an original work rather than a Roman copy. A smaller bronze variant of a sleeping satyr has, however, been found in the Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum, showing that the motif existed earlier.

From the Barberini Palace to the Glyptothek

After it was rediscovered in Rome in the 1620s it belonged to the Barberini family for almost two hundred years and was displayed in the Palazzo Barberini. It was briefly sold to Vincenzo Pacetti in 1799, but returned to the family after legal proceedings. In 1813/1814 the Barberini sold it to Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria. It was transported across the Alps and arrived in Munich in 1819/1820. Since the Glyptothek opened in 1830 it has stood there and is owned by the Wittelsbacher Ausgleichsfonds. Several later copies exist, including a famous marble version by Edmé Bouchardon in the Louvre.

When Time and Restorers Have Left Their Own Traces

When the sculpture was found the right leg was missing, large parts of the left arm and certain areas of the head and hands. It was restored several times in Rome. First it was completed in stucco by Giuseppe Giorgetti and Lorenzo Ottoni in 1679. In the 18th century new additions were made in marble, and in 1799 Vincenzo Pacetti carried out a further restoration in which he adjusted the angle of the right leg to emphasise the erotic aspect even more.

In the 1960s some of the later additions were removed during renovations of the Glyptothek. New, more discreet reconstructions were then made. Visible joints and differences in surface still reveal where the ancient marble ends and later work begins. The sculpture’s current form is therefore the result of both the original Hellenistic craftsmanship and several centuries of restoration history.