THE BOY FROM MARATHON It may be a satyr , If it is, it is the most beautiful satyr in the world , but then again, who would sculpt the most beautiful saytr in the world other than Praxiteles. By the end of the 4th century and the beginning of the 3rd, satyrs had lost their goat legs and beards and become very like fauns. This satyr to the right is attributed to Praxiteles or his school. Although it is a beautiful and graceful figure, you can see the coarseness in the face. The ears are quite inhuman and he is wearing an animal skin. These attributes are not at all in The Boy From Marathon. I should think that the artist would have made some attempt to visually communicate the intended subject. If The Boy were intended to be a satyr, why obscure the fact from the viewer? It is of course, possible; as we move into Hellenistic times everything becomes prettier and uglier. The classical ideals are dying and one can see it in the art. If The Boy From Marathon is a satyr, he may have been holding cymbals in his hand as in this bronze called "Invitation To The Dance." I must say that I have grave doubts about the artist intending me to see this as a satyr. If so, he was more unsuccessful than Praxiteles usually is. It simply is not well communicated. Is there the stump of a little tail in the back?