Faune Dansant: A Parisian Dance in Bronze

Le Faune Dansant, sculpted by Eugène-Louis Lequesne in 1850, graces the Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris. This bronze statue portrays a nude faun dancing and playing the flute with an exuberant energy. The faun is depicted balancing on an inflated wineskin, a symbol of the instability of the character, drawing inspiration from ancient traditions. At the statue's base, one can observe a tambourine, cymbals, a thyrsus, and a bunch of grapes, all attributes associated with bacchanals.Lequesne drew inspiration from a statue of a dancing faun discovered in Pompeii and displayed in Naples. The statue stands approximately 2 meters tall, not including its pedestal. The plaster model was exhibited in 1850, the bronze version in 1852, and again at the l'Exposition Universelle in 1855 before finding its permanent home in the Jardin du Luxembourg.While the statue is referred to as a faun, it more closely resembles a satyr, a creature from mythology known for their love of music and dance. The statue is positioned near the park entrance at Place Edmond Rostand. Today, the Faune Dansant remains a popular subject for photographs and a charming historical landmark within the Jardin du Luxembourg.