A Laughing Head of a Faun

,

by Elena Capretti

The powerful sculpture, of exceptional quality, depicts a male face with an unkempt beard and thick, dishevelled hair, laughing mockingly. The ungainly physiognomy and charged expression recall the features of a faun, an Italic deity with a semi-feral appearance who inhabits the woods.

The sculpture is the result of a series of elaborations, rethinks and adjustments. It is a kind of experimental work in which the sculptor has vigorously and pugnaciously defined the form, tried out different solutions and refined details.

The theme of the work readily evoke the famous sculpture of a similar subject that Michelangelo made in marble in the early years of frequenting the sculpture garden in Piazza San Marco in around 1490–2 and Lorenzo the Magnificent, appreciating the young man’s personality and talent, welcomed Michelangelo into his home.

Despite the loss of the work, the story of the faun sculpted by Buonarroti, as reported by the sources, has enjoyed a certain figurative popularity.

Repeated attempts to identify Buonarroti’s famous head of a faun have never been convincing. The difficulty in reconstructing Michelangelo’s activity as a young man calls for great caution in making any proposal. The book shows a few comparisons with the work of Michelangelo that may encourage further investigation and study regarding the sculpture in question.

Eur 25,00

Weight 0,21 kg
Dimensions 20 × 22,5 cm
Pages

48

Binding

Paperback

Illustrations

53 in colour and 1 in b/w

Language

Italian/English

ISBN

9788874617081

Year