Little Fauns (Fauntjes – 14 pieces)

About this artwork.

The Faun was built in 1935 as a multifunctional complex: in addition to offices and warehouses, the building housed a café/restaurant, housing, shops and a cellar for bicycle storage. The H&M retail chain is currently housed in the building.

Life insurance company De Utrecht took the initiative for the new construction in order to replace its branch office at the same location. The architect of the building is A.R. Wittop Koning, who also designed the interior. The exterior is ornate and decorated with sculptures by Willem Valk.
 
Valk's sculptures fit in with the expressionist architecture of the Faun. The 14 statues have all been given suitable roles as keystones or cornerstones in the architectural design of the entire building. The motifs of some of the sculptures clearly show the function of the building. For example, three fauns with a bunch of grapes, a tankard and a pan flute refer to the café/restaurant.
 
In the execution there is great contrast between the figures at elevated locations and the figures at street level. The sculptures on the eaves have slightly exaggerated proportions in order to be clearly recognisable from street level. The lower figures are much more stylised and remain within the rectangle of the brick entrance pillars where they are built into the masonry: in these figures the working method that Valk typically used can clearly be seen. He made little or no sketches for a statue or a relief, but created a life-size design in clay and then executed it in stone. Usually he stayed very close to the original stone slab, creating a sleek, stylised shape.

Facts & Figures.

• Design
  Willem Valk

• District
  Centrum

• Year of creation
  1938

• Art type
  Art in / on a building, Wall sculpture

• Material
  Diabase stone

• Dimensions
  h 0,25 - 1,50 m