A Satyr for Midas: The Barberini Faun and Hellenistic Royal Patronage Author(s): Jean Sorabella Reviewed work(s): Source: Classical Antiquity, Vol. 26, No. 2 (October 2007), pp. 219-248 Published by: University of California Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/ca.2007.26.2.219 . Accessed: 08/02/2012 16:15 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact
[email protected]. University of California Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Classical Antiquity. http://www.jstor.org JEAN SORABELLA A Satyr for Midas: The Barberini Faun and Hellenistic Royal Patronage The canonical statue known as the Barberini Faun is roundly viewed as a mysterious anomaly. The challenge to interpret it is intensiWed not only by uncertainties about its date and origin but also by the persistent idea that it represents a generic satyr. This paper tackles this assumption and identiWes the statue with the satyr that King Midas captured in the well-known myth. Iconographic analysis of the statue’s pose supports this view. In particular, the arm bent above the head, the twist of the torso, and the splay of the legs are paralleled in many well-understood Wgures and furnish keys to interpreting the Barberini Faun as an extraordinary sleeping beast, intoxicated and Wt for capture.