DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.61617#0520
SCULPTURE
443
small Silenus used as a standard for a vase, and the so-called
Narcissus.
The dancing satyr is shown in Fig. 248. It was found lying
on the floor of the atrium in the house of the Faun, but the
pedestal could not be
identified. The fig-
ure is instinct with
rhythmic motion.
Every muscle of the
satyr’s sinewy frame
is in tension as he
moves forward in the
dance, snapping his
fingers to keep time;
the pose is a marvel
of skill. The unhu-
man character of the
half-brute is indicated
by the horns project-
ing from the forehead,
and the pointed ears.
The face, marked by
low cunning, offers no
suggestion of lofty
thought or moral
sense. We have here
the personification of
unalloyed physical en-
joyment. The satyr,
unvexed by any care
or qualm of con-
Fig. 248. — Dancing Faun. Bronze statue, now in the
Naples Museum.
science, is intoxicated with the joy of free movement, and dances
on and on, unwearied, with perfect ease and grace.
Muscular tension is skilfully indicated in the Silenus, who
stands holding above his head with his left hand a round frame,
in which, as shown by the fragments, a vase of colored glass was
standing at the time of the eruption. The head, crowned with
ivy, leans forward and to the right, and the right hand is moved
443
small Silenus used as a standard for a vase, and the so-called
Narcissus.
The dancing satyr is shown in Fig. 248. It was found lying
on the floor of the atrium in the house of the Faun, but the
pedestal could not be
identified. The fig-
ure is instinct with
rhythmic motion.
Every muscle of the
satyr’s sinewy frame
is in tension as he
moves forward in the
dance, snapping his
fingers to keep time;
the pose is a marvel
of skill. The unhu-
man character of the
half-brute is indicated
by the horns project-
ing from the forehead,
and the pointed ears.
The face, marked by
low cunning, offers no
suggestion of lofty
thought or moral
sense. We have here
the personification of
unalloyed physical en-
joyment. The satyr,
unvexed by any care
or qualm of con-
Fig. 248. — Dancing Faun. Bronze statue, now in the
Naples Museum.
science, is intoxicated with the joy of free movement, and dances
on and on, unwearied, with perfect ease and grace.
Muscular tension is skilfully indicated in the Silenus, who
stands holding above his head with his left hand a round frame,
in which, as shown by the fragments, a vase of colored glass was
standing at the time of the eruption. The head, crowned with
ivy, leans forward and to the right, and the right hand is moved