Sexy Beast: The Barberini Faun an an Object of Desire

Abstract

The Barberini Faun, a Hellenistic statue of a sleeping satyr, in contrast to most Greek nudes, depicts a mature man as an object of desire. This article argues that the Faun’s sexual vulnerability reflects the sexual ethics and practices of the Hellenistic period. The period witnessed Greeks turning towards their personal relationships and families as a source of happiness in reaction to an increasingly globalized world.  This parallels a relaxation of the rigid regulations governing sexual relationships, both heterosexual and homosexual, that had been practiced in the earlier Archaic and Classical periods. As the discussion of sexual roles, including the relative ages of the participants, expanded, so did the view of mature men as symbols of sexuality.  This article examines how Barberini Faun exemplifies these new Hellenistic cultural ideas.