Attilio Piccirilli (American/Italian, 1866-1945). Dancing Faun, conceived 1895, executed 1900. Marble. 44-3/4 inches (11...

Description

Attilio Piccirilli (American/Italian, 1866-1945)
Dancing Faun, conceived 1895, executed 1900
Marble
44-3/4 inches (113.7 cm) high
Signed and inscribed on base: ATTILIO PICCIRILLI-FECIT-MCM

LITERATURE:
J.V. Lombardo, Piccirilli: Life of an American Sculptor, New York, 1944, pp. 47, 49, pl. 7, 8, another example illustrated.

Attilio Piccirilli's Dancing Faun exemplifies the sculptor's masterful blend of classical inspiration and modern refinement. Born in 1866 in Massa Carrara, Italy-an area famed for its marble-Piccirilli studied at the Accademia di San Luca in Rome before immigrating to New York in 1888. There, he and his brothers established the Piccirilli Brothers Studio in the Bronx, becoming America's preeminent marble carvers. Among their most celebrated collaborations was the carving of the seated figure of Abraham Lincoln for the Lincoln Memorial-executed in marble under the direction of sculptor Daniel Chester French, who designed the statue.

Dancing Faun reflects Piccirilli's deep affinity for Greco-Roman mythology, rendered with a fresh, modern elegance. The sculpture depicts a faun-part man, part goat-caught mid-leap, animated with fluid motion and anatomical precision. The sinuous twist of the torso, the joyful abandon in the gesture, and the polished finish all serve to animate the marble with vitality. It is a study in controlled exuberance, capturing both the wild spirit of the forest deity and the grace of a dancer.

Piccirilli's technical brilliance lies in his ability to balance structure and spontaneity. The stylized movement and smooth modeling suggest a familiarity with both academic training and the freer rhythms of Art Nouveau and early modernism. As noted in American Sculpture: A Catalogue of the Collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, his work reflects "a rare harmony between traditional form and modern sensibility" (T. Tolles, American Sculpture: A Catalogue of the Collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Volume I, New York, 1999, n.p.).

With Dancing Faun, Piccirilli transforms ancient mythology into a living moment-joyful, radiant, and eternally in motion.


More information about Piccirilli, Attilio Artist.

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