Head of a Faun
unknown
Basic information
Additionally
- Type
- sculpture 3D
- Genre
- mythological painting
Information about author
Object description
The appeal to antiquity was a feature of the Renaissance, Classicism, Baroque, and the 18th- and 19th-century culture. An example of the actualisation of the ancient theme is the image of Faun (Latin: Faunus from favere – to favour, to be favoured) – one of the oldest deities in Roman mythology; a kind and merciful patron of forests, mountains, caves, meadows, fields, flocks and shepherds. The Romans associated Faun with the Greek Pan and depicted him as a man with goat's horns and legs. In honour of Faun, they celebrated Favnalia in December and Lupercalia on 15 February; they sacrificed goats and drank milk and wine. According to mythology, besides the main Faun, there were many minor deities of the same name with his functions and attributes. Like Silvanus, Faun was a forest god who lived in thickets, remote caves and near springs, where he foretold the future, caught birds, and chased nymphs. The marble head of the Faun from the collection of Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery was probably intended for interior use and is characterised by the "psychologisation" of the image of the mythological character, careful processing of the material and perfect classical modelling of the forms.
Legal regulation
Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery
