Pompeii Statues — Ancient Bronzes vs Mitoraj

Are the Statues in Pompeii Real?

It depends which ones. Pompeii holds two completely different kinds of statue: genuine ancient Roman bronzes and marbles unearthed during excavation — like the Dancing Faun and the bronze ephebes — and large modern bronze sculptures by the artist Igor Mitoraj, installed in 2016. The ancient works are real antiquities; the Mitoraj pieces are contemporary art placed among the ruins.

The Ancient Statues

When Pompeii was buried in AD 79, the city was full of sculpture — gods in temples, portraits of citizens, decorative bronzes in gardens and atria. Excavators recovered many of these works, and they rank among the most important survivals of Roman art.

The best-known is the Dancing Faun, a small, lively bronze of a dancing satyr found in the atrium of the grand house that now bears its name, the House of the Faun. Equally celebrated are the bronze ephebes — graceful youth figures that once served as lamp-bearers in wealthy homes.

A key point for visitors: many originals were moved to the National Archaeological Museum of Naples (MANN) for protection, and what you see in the houses on site is often a faithful replica. To stand before the authentic ancient bronzes, you visit the Naples museum.

The Modern Mitoraj Sculptures

Quite separate from the antiquities are the dramatic bronze figures by Igor Mitoraj (1944–2014), a Polish sculptor famous for monumental, fragmented classical forms. They were placed across the site for a major 2016 exhibition that set his work in dialogue with the ruins.

The exhibition proved so popular that several pieces stayed on permanent display. Around the Forum and other open spaces you can still find works such as the great winged Centauro (centaur), Daedalus and Icarus — instantly recognizable by their smooth bronze surfaces, broken limbs and serene, mask-like faces. They are clearly modern, not ancient, and are not eruption finds.

Ancient vs Modern: A Clear Comparison

	Ancient statues	Modern statues
Date	Roman, pre-AD 79	Installed 2016
Examples	Dancing Faun, bronze ephebes	Centauro, Daedalus, Icarus
Maker	Roman craftsmen	Igor Mitoraj
Where to see	Originals in Naples (MANN); replicas on site	On display among the ruins
Status	Genuine antiquities	Contemporary art

How to Tell Them Apart

If a statue is small, naturalistic and shown inside a house or in a glass case, it is almost certainly an ancient find or a replica of one. If it is large, fragmented, with a polished bronze finish and a dreamlike classical face standing in an open square, it is a Mitoraj. Knowing the difference makes a walk through Pompeii far richer — and explains why the city's most famous originals are best seen in the Naples museum.