Head of a Faun

Pablo Picasso, 24 January–6 February 1956

Technical Details

About This Work

A faun’s head is condensed into an enamel image on a square tile, turning a mythological subject into a compact, decorative modern object. The format encourages direct graphic invention: line, color, and facial signs must carry the character without the spatial depth of a canvas. The faun connects Picasso’s late ceramic work to his longstanding interest in Mediterranean antiquity, but the tile’s practical, architectural scale keeps the myth lively rather than solemn. The faun connects Picasso's late work to classical myth, play, and erotic vitality. Its symbolism is deliberately hybrid: human and animal traits become a way to rethink identity through mythic character.

MoMA dates Head of a Faun to 24 January–6 February 1956 and records it as enamel on tile, object 275.1956. The specific date range shows the continuity between Picasso’s late ceramics and his broader late-period production. The faun is a recurring classical figure associated with music, fertility, and unruly nature. On a ceramic tile, that figure also demonstrates Picasso’s ability to translate ancient motifs into modern, reproducible-looking forms without losing their playful ambiguity. The documented holding collection is Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA; its direct institutional object record (https://www.moma.org/collection/works/79362) is retained as the factual source for the catalog entry and its provenance trail.

Current Location

Valuation & Provenance

Keywords