Statue of a Boy, Torso restored as a Satyr

Roman art

The sculpture depicts a boy, standing on his right leg, with his left hand resting on a pitcher and his right arm bent, in the act of lifting a cup. The numerous additions have restored a balance similar to that of an ancient statue, although the position of the upper limbs and the modern head’s connotation as a satyr are somewhat arbitrary. Small statues of Fauns, Little Satyrs, mythical creatures closely connected with nature, are particularly common elements in the gardens and peristyles of Roman houses, often used to decorate fountains. For the Borghese statue, however, an original funerary function cannot be ruled out.

The statue may perhaps correspond to the Small Faun found in the basement area selected by Evasio Gozzani in 1826 for restoration, with the aim of organising the new collection of Antiquities in the Casino Borghese.

Object details

Commentary

The statue can perhaps be recognised in the list of sculptures considered worthy of restoration for the purpose of organising the new collection of Antiquities, assembled by Evasio Gozzani in 1826. In particular, it could be the “Small Faun found in the basement area” later entrusted to sculptors Massimiliano Laboureur and Antonio D’Este for restoration (Moreno, Sforzini 1987, p. 352).

The sculpture depicts a young boy, standing on his right leg, with his left leg bent back and just the tip of his toe touching the ground. While the left arm at his side, holding a jug, seems to belong to an early remake of the statue that reproduces the ancient position, the rendering of the bent right limb with a cup is completely random. In general, the resulting balance seems similar to that of the ancient statue, while the modern head has a chubby face in which the shape of the eyes, the half-open mouth and pointed ears, together with the thick locks of hair held by a band, reveal a feral nature. However, there is not enough evidence to assume that the original statue was also a satyr.

While iconic statues of children with satyr-like features are particularly unusual (see the portrait in the Farnese collection, MANN inv. 6337, Coraggio 2009, p. 72, no. 46), there are multiple confirmations of sculptures of members of the Dionysian retinue or the child Dionysus, vaguely related to statuary prototypes of the 4th century BCE by Praxiteles. Small statues of Fauns, little Satyrs, as mythical beings closely connected to nature, are particularly common elements in the gardens and peristyles of the Roman domus, often used to decorate fountains.

For the Borghese statue, however, an original funerary function cannot be ruled out, like the sculpture VIIIC preserved in the same room; in this case, too, the fine modelling suggests that it dates to the first century CE.

Jessica Clementi