The Faun

From atop this room’s keystone, a bearded human face observes us. His long pointed ears, together with the crown of vine leaves and bunches of grapes, allow us to identify him as a faun, an ancient Italic deity, protector of woods and flocks, capable of arousing visions during sleep to reveal the future. His appearance was that of a wild man, with a crown of vine leaves on his head, a goatskin on his hips, a club or cornucopia in his left hand and a drinking horn in his right. This enigmatic face reveals similarities with other sculptures preserved within Castel del Monte: with the shelf-supporting faun of the third octagonal tower, characterized by an intense expressive naturalism, and with the similar face of the keystone of the so-called "throne room" on the upper floor.

This room, without access to the towers, served as a passageway and communicated with the courtyard through a portal, simple on the internal side and much more complex on the outside.