Life-Size Plaster Dancing Faun

A Grand Tour style life-size cast plaster figure of the Dancing Faun, circa 1910, after Pietro Cipriani’s 1722 bronze cast (now in the J. Paul Getty Museum), this figure possibly cast by Pietro Caproni, in sections, the arms detachable, on a separate original pitch pine pedestal base of canted box form on ceramic wheel castors.

Pietro Paulo Caproni (1862–1928) founded PP Caproni & Brother, Boston, Massachusetts, manufacturers of plaster reproductions of classical and contemporary statues. In an era before commercial photography, these statues were an integral educational tool in teaching people the history of art and antiquities; they supplied art schools, major universities and museums in the United States and abroad.

Dimensions: the figure 148cm high, 52cm deep, 82cm wide,

the base 82cm high, 46cm deep, 55cm wide,

230cm high overall

Footnote

The Grand Tour of the late 17th, 18th and 19th centuries saw many upper class, wealthy and aristocratic gentlemen travel to Italy and Europe, particularly Rome, Venice and Florence, for pleasure, education and inspiration. This afforded them the opportunity to view important classical and Renaissance works of art and architecture.

The term ‘Grand Tour’ was coined by the Catholic priest and travel writer Richard Lassels (circa 1603-68), who used it in his influential guidebook The Voyage of Italy, published in 1670, to describe young lords travelling abroad to learn about art, architecture and antiquity.

Robert Adam wrote of Rome in 1755, ‘Rome is the most glorious place in the universal world. A grandeur and tranquillity reigns in it, everywhere noble and striking remains of antiquity appear in it, which are so many that one who has spent a dozen years in seeing is still surprised with something new…’

Many Grand tourists collected souvenirs in the form of bronze and marble models of sculpture and architecture, and formed collections of Grand Tour objects for their English country houses, most notably Chatsworth House.