Bacchanal: A Faun Teased by Children

Gian Lorenzo Bernini Italian
 and Pietro Bernini Italian

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 534

The complex composition of intertwined figures, skillfully carved in the round from a narrow block, is the most ambitious marble made in partnership by Gian Lorenzo and Pietro Bernini. Based on ancient sarcophagi, this bacchic revel already shows Gian Lorenzo’s boldness in challenging antiquity. He tests the limits of sculpture and renders a host of motifs in different textures of marble: the supple children, one sticking out his tongue; the smooth, muscular tension of the toothless faun; and the tree’s bark and juicy fruits. This group was recorded in the inventory of Gian Lorenzo’s home at the time of his death.

#80. Body Language: Curator: Bacchanal: A Faun Teased by Children

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Bacchanal: A Faun Teased by Children, Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Italian, Naples 1598–1680 Rome), Marble, Italian, Rome

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Bacchanal: A Faun Teased by Children, Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Italian, Naples 1598–1680 Rome), Marble, Italian, Rome
Bacchanal: A Faun Teased by Children, Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Italian, Naples 1598–1680 Rome), Marble, Italian, Rome
Bacchanal: A Faun Teased by Children, Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Italian, Naples 1598–1680 Rome), Marble, Italian, Rome
Bacchanal: A Faun Teased by Children, Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Italian, Naples 1598–1680 Rome), Marble, Italian, Rome
Bacchanal: A Faun Teased by Children, Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Italian, Naples 1598–1680 Rome), Marble, Italian, Rome
Bacchanal: A Faun Teased by Children, Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Italian, Naples 1598–1680 Rome), Marble, Italian, Rome
Bacchanal: A Faun Teased by Children, Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Italian, Naples 1598–1680 Rome), Marble, Italian, Rome

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