The statue known as the Barberini Faun or "Sleeping Satyr" is 215 cm long and made from marble. It was carved by an unknown sculptor, possibly Praxiteles, and dates from approximately 220 BCE. Currently it is located in the Glyptothek museum in Munich, Germany. Although some scholars have asserted that the statue is an original Hellenistic work, most people believe that it is a later Roman copy of a Hellenistic Greek original. The statue was found in Hadrian’s Mausoleum in Rome in the 17th century. The Mausoleum was converted to a fortress in 5th century CE, now known as Castel Sant’Angelo. When discovered, the statue was heavily damaged; the right leg, parts of both hands, and parts of the head were missing. Praxiteles of Athens, the son of Cephisodotus, was the greatest of the Attic sculptors of the 4th century BC, who has left an imperishable mark on the history of art. ... The Glyptothek The Glyptothek is a museum in Munich, which was commissioned by the Bavarian King Ludwig I to house his collection of Greek and Roman sculptures. ... Munich: Frauenkirche and Town Hall steeple Munich (German: München pronunciation) is the state capital of the German Bundesland of Bavaria. ... A bust of Hadrian in a museum in Venice Publius Aelius Traianus Hadrianus (January 24, 76-July 10, 138), known as Hadrian in English, was Roman emperor from 117-138, and a member of the gens Aelia. ... City motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus – SPQR (The Senate and the People of Rome) Founded 21 April 753 BC mythical, 1st millennium BC Region Latium Mayor Walter Veltroni (Left-Wing Democrats) Area  - City Proper  1290 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density (city proper) 2,546,807 almost 4,000,000 1...

It is traditionally asserted that Cardinal Maffeo Barberini commissioned the artist Gianlorenzo Bernini (1598-1680) to restore the statue. There is some debate about who restored the statue, as it may have been worked on by Bernini's followers rather than Bernini himself. Bernini was one of the most significant artists of the Italian baroque era. Even though he was most important as a sculptor, he was also an architect, painter and playwright. He was famous for his passionate expression, and his work was full of emotional and psychological energy. In that spirit he restored the missing pieces of the “Barberini Faun”, emphasizing the characteristics of the Baroque period by enhancing the sexual aspect of the statue. Because of this, the statue has acquired a reputation as an example of homoerotic art. For example, on February 17, 2005, Maureen Dowd, a New York Times columnist, compared pornographic photographs of the gay escort Jeff Gannon to the Barberini Faun. The Barberini family was a powerful Italian family, originally of Tuscan extraction, who settled in Florence during the early part of the eleventh century. ... A self portrait: Bernini is said to have used his own features in the David (below, left) Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini) (December 7, 1598 - November 28, 1680), who worked chiefly in Rome, was the pre-eminent baroque artist. ... Adoration, by Peter Paul Rubens: dynamic figures spiral down around a void: draperies blow: a whirl of movement lit in a shaft of light, rendered in a free bravura handling of paint In arts, the Baroque (or baroque) is both a period and the style that dominated it. ... Architect at his drawing board, 1893 An architect is a person involved in the planning, designing and oversight of a buildings construction. ... A painter is a person who paints woodwork, walls, etc. ... A playwright is someone who writes for the theatre. ... Maureen Dowds NYTimes. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... James Guckert, a. ...

The statue was housed in the Palazzo Barberini until the 1700's, when the Barberinis sold much of their collection. Eventually, King Luwig I of Bavaria qcquired the marble and brought it to Bavaria, Germany. The king had the architect Klenze build the Glyptotek in the 1830's to house his collection of "carvings" (glyphein is the greek root meaning to carve).

A faun is the Roman equivalent of a Satyr. In Greek mythology, satyrs were humanoid male woodland spirits with several animal features. These features were often a goat-like tail, hoofs, ears, or horns. Satyrs attended to Dionysus, the Greek god of revelry, and this specimen, laying seductively naked in a drunken doze, is certainly Exhibit A. In Greek mythology, Satyrs (Σάτυροι - Satyri) are mythological half-man and half-goat nature entities that roamed the woods and mountains, and were the companions of Pan and Dionysus. ... Bacchus by Caravaggio Dionysus or Dionysos (Ancient Greek: Διώνυσος or Διόνυσος; also known as Bacchus in both Greek and Roman mythology and associated with the Italic Liber), the Thracian god of wine, represents not only the intoxicating power of wine, but also its social and beneficent influences. ...

External links

• Link to New York Times article