Italian, late 18th/ 19th century

The Dancing Faun is one of the most famous sculptures of classical antiquity in Florence, where it can be found in the Tribuna of the Uffizi. Although it is first recorded in 1665, in a book by Rubens' son Albert, there is evidence to indicate that the sculpture was in the Grand Ducal collections as early as the 16th century. The head and arms, which likely date to this period, were once said to have been restored by Michelangelo. The ancient sculpture itself is thought to be a 3rd-century copy of a bronze Greek original. The model was copied widely since its discovery, including by Foggini (Versailles), Soldani (for the Prince of Liechtenstein and the Duke of Marlborough), Zoffoli, and Righetti (op. cit., Haskell and Penny).

RELATED LITERATURE

F. Haskell and N. Penny, Taste and the Antique: The Lure of Classical Sculpture 1500-1900, New Haven and London, 1981, pp. 205-208