Descriptive Essay On Museum

Museum Paper
It is easy to forget, when decapitated and nose-less stone heads are sitting on poles in glass cases, surrounded by signs begging you, “Do Not Touch” and “No Flash Photography”, in a reverberant room with an electric fan buzzing in the corner that these works are real. They stood tall and proud in front of temples, homes, tombs. They were passed in the town square everyday by commoners and ordered to reflect the power of their noblemen. Sometimes, if you can block out the modern world of tourists and ceiling lights, and stare particularly hard at a statue or vessel, you can imagine it being caressed by an Egyptian prince as he placed it in the tomb of his father, or passing Greek hands to be drunk from in celebration of Dionysus. As a quote by Agatha Christie at the museum said, “…the lure of the past came up to grab me (“Agatha”).” The past can be almost mystical, and definitely fascinating when given the time. The Penn Museum had plenty to offer in to be studied and wondered about. The work I have chosen is the Faun with Wineskin, located in the Rome gallery, which is a statuette from the High Empire, is typical of this time period, and is comparable to the Sleeping Satyr of Greece.
The Faun with Wineskin is a statue, around four feet, of a young faun in a contrapposto pose; his right arm bent behind him and his left arm holding a tied sack next to a short tree stump. He was

found near Lake Nemi, Italy and is comprised of many types of marble. The faun is mostly restoration, with only his torso and wineskin being of ancient material (“Statue”). This, however, is not an immediate disaccreditation, as it still is displayed among the statues of Rome in this gallery, as copies and recreations stand in museums all over the world, and are still accepted as representative of the originals. To start, his head is tilted slightly and has a natural yet idealized face. He has almost stylized wavy hair, that is deeply ingrained, and is being held back by a braided wreath. His face is very smooth and young. He has thin eyebrows, and a somewhat large mushroom-looking nose. His cheeks are rounded and his eyes are white, they probably would have been painted. He has thin lips, with a small smirk, reminiscent of the archaic smile. His face ends with a boxy rounded chin. His neck is proportionate to the rest of the body which is soft and boyish. He has thin shoulders and a flat chest, but with some pectoral definition. His arms have just the hint of biceps. Where his side is bent, it is naturally lined and squishy. But there is a very distinct line where his hip meets his stomach. His delicate fingers are holding a realistic wineskin, which is comparable to drapery, to show that the artist can recreate fabric; it is puckered and seamed in the right places. One slender leg is bent, while the other is straight. His calf muscle is distinguished, and his knees are realistic. There is even a small dent in one of them His feet are a bit blocky and solid looking. The log next to him is naturally bumpy. His back, which was hidden, most likely has an ‘S’ curve. Overall, he is very close to looking natural and realistic, but is not all the way there. He is tender and rounded, but his face is very generalized and too smooth. The detail is lacking to push it over the edge.
This lack of detail is very typical of the High Empire or Golden Age of Rome, which this work is from. There was a decline in art quality. Portraits had become less realistic than the busts of politicians of Ages before. The verism, of the Republic had faded away. Yet, it harkens back to Greek and its classical elements. The contrapposto pose, a slanted hip with one leg holding all the weight, is very prevalent. The old Archaic smile can be seen interpreted as well. It does have a strut (the log) which is a calling card of Romans. This work differs from the time in its actual appropriate proportions. It is unlike the equestrian statues of the day, which were extremely disproportionate. It also has more idealization; the Faun’s face and hair are almost pretty. But, the Romans were not obsessed with perfection like the Greeks. They were okay with showing a person with less than an athletic body type. This can be seen in the touch of chubbiness of the torso. This statuette could have stood in a small temple of Bacchus, as fauns and wine were related to him. It may have even been in the home, as art for the owners, as had been a practice of the Greeks before them.
When I first saw this Faun, I was reminded of the earlier faun we had studied in class, The Sleeping Satyr, of Hellenistic Greece, which will haunt me for the rest of my days. The Satyr is obviously asleep, most likely passed out drunk, and widespread in a chair. The Faun, however, is completely upright and awake. Both have curly hair, and the Satyr possesses a furrowed brow, whereas the Faun has a relaxed, happy face. Both bodies are also loose, yet the Satyr’s muscles are clearly defined and rock hard (did she just make a pun?) and the Faun has barely muscles at all, but a soft chubby body. Neither have goat legs, as they should, but the Satyr’s lack of them was probably meant to be more attractive and the Faun’s was most likely due to shortage of knowledge or effort of detail. The faun as a symbol was a favorite of Greeks and Romans. Both are naked, yet the Satyr was meant to be giggled at with its overt sexuality. The Faun is naked as a matter of course, and is younger and was not meant to be looked at in any sexual way. The Satyr is older, probably around seventeen, and adds to the contrast. The biggest difference is the styles. Compared to the Satyr, the Faun’s lack of detail is apparent. The Satyr is full of sharp features and hard edges. The muscles are a bit overdone, but his whole physique remains realistic from the lips to the toes. The Faun remains gentle and passive.
The Faun with Wineskin is a charming statuette typical of its period.

He is soft and boyish with a mischievous Peter Pan aura about him. When compared to earlier works, he may be simple but that does not mean he is unworthy of note. When I saw the Faun I was almost transported. The gleaming white of Rome encircled me. Laughter and undistinguishable conversations echoed around the forum. The Faun smirked through the crowds of men walking by in varying speeds. The scene vanished in a blink, and I hurried to take a few pictures, before being shepherded along to the next work.

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