The Marble Faun

In June, Kenyon visits Donatello—who we learn is a count—at his country estate of Monte Beni in Tuscany. The new tendency toward melancholy in Donatello’s demeanor surprises Kenyon.

Donatello tells Kenyon that his relatives have all died and that he is the last of the noblemen of Monte Beni. Donatello and Kenyon enjoy glasses of Sunshine, a wine specially produced at the estate for centuries. Kenyon praises the wine for its youthful and restorative qualities. Tomaso, a butler, explains that the method of making Sunshine is a secret and that it has never been sold.

When Kenyon asks Donatello to let him sculpt a bust of him, Donatello replies, “[I]t troubles me to be looked at steadfastly” (167). Kenyon mentions Miriam, and Donatello trembles with “a ghastly emotion” (168). He asks about her, and Kenyon says that when he left Rome she was gone from her studio. Kenyon retires for the night in a guest room at the house.

From Tomaso Kenyon learns about Donatello’s family lineage, which extends back to ancient and mythical times. According to legend, the founder of the family was an arcadian “sylvan creature” who married a mortal woman.