FAUN PLAYING THE DOUBLE FLUTE
After the Renaissance model attributed to Camelio (Vittore Gambello), itself after Antiquity
Italian, nineteenth century or earlier

Bronze on a later violet marble base

14" H x 5" D x 5" W
Bronze figure 13" H

Small bronzes modeled after, or freely inspired by, ancient sculpture occupied an important position in Renaissance collecting. Wilhelm von Bode observed that such statuettes were valued alongside antiquities and frequently imitated them while their small scale allowed sculptors unusual freedom in the study of the freestanding nude. In his discussion of the present composition, Bode identified the raised arms, striding pose, pointed ears and small tail as evidence that the figure represented a satyr derived from an ancient model. (1)

The attribution of the model has changed considerably since Bode discussed it in 1908. He included the composition among works then associated with Francesco da Sant'Agata, recording examples in the Louvre, the Museo Nazionale in Florence and the Kaiser Friedrich Museum in Berlin. (1) The Frick Collection now attributes its early sixteenth century cast to Camelio, or Vittore Gambello, describing it as a fine cast of a model known in several examples.(2) Another cast in the Louvre is cataloged more cautiously as Italian Renaissance. Measuring 32.2 cm in height, the Louvre bronze is notably close in scale to the present 13 inch, approximately 33 cm, figure. It entered the Louvre through the 1881 bequest of Jacques Edouard Gatteaux and has appeared repeatedly in the literature on Renaissance bronzes since the late nineteenth century.(3) The survival of several casts, together with their differing historical attributions, indicates that the composition circulated as an established Renaissance model rather than as a unique bronze.

The present example is conservatively dated to the nineteenth century or earlier. The figure advances on one leg while the opposite leg extends behind, his torso drawn upward as both arms rise to support the double flute above his face. The casting retains unusually sensitive anatomical modeling. The ribs press subtly against the surface of the torso, the principal muscle and bone groups are clearly articulated and the hair is modeled as softly layered curls rather than being heavily defined through later chasing. It is interesting to note the model in the Louvre features the exact same awkward curvature of the forearms to meet the upward twist of the flutes - their model was formerly situated on descending plane, but the base was reworked to place the Faun upright with both feet planted on the base. Our example is situated in a way that would require a step or descending triangular wedge base, like the earlier orientation of the Louvre.

The bronze was cast in two principal elements, with the extended leg joined into the body. The figure appears substantially or entirely solid cast and was probably produced by the lost wax method, although this has not been confirmed. The surface has been lightly hammered and textured, preserving a complex accumulated patina. Reddish coppery undertones emerge beneath the predominant black patination where the surface has been rubbed, while relieved areas show areas of green verdigris together with russet and brown deposits, producing an almost autumnal range of color. A small loss or attachment point appears to indicate a now absent leaf or sprig. The figure is mounted on a later circular violet marble base.

Condition: Fine state of preservation. Raised on a later violet marble base. Rubbing to the patination on raised elements, revealing reddish copper tones beneath the dark surface. Scattered verdigris and accumulated patination throughout. Apparently lacking a small leaf or sprig.

References:
1. Wilhelm von Bode, The Italian Bronze Statuettes of the Renaissance, Vol. I, London: H. Grevel & Co., 1908, p. 41, pl. LXXX. Bode records several examples of the flute playing satyr and describes the figure as following an ancient model.
2. The Frick Collection, Faun Playing the Flute, attributed to Camelio (Vittore Gambello), early sixteenth century. The collection describes the bronze as a fine cast of a model known in a number of examples and places Camelio's classicizing work within the culture of Venetian humanist collecting. Link
3. Musée du Louvre, Statuette: faune jouant de la flûte, OA 9111; RF 397, Italian Renaissance, bronze, 32.2 cm H, formerly collection Jacques Edouard Gatteaux and bequeathed in 1881. See also Philippe Malgouyres, De Filarete à Riccio. Bronzes italiens de la Renaissance, 1430–1550. La collection du Musée du Louvre, Paris, 2020, no. 176. collections. Link

ref. 603NHP31P