5133 A rare 14th century Venetian carved white marble lion, reclining but with his head raised and turned slightly to the right, his hind legs tucked in beside his rump and his front legs stretched beneath him. Heavily weathered from atmospheric deterioration and human use, including areas of extreme foot wear
on either side of the integrated plinth.
With cut-outs where steel brackets once
held it down and a tube within it’s mouth
where is was once part of a fountain. 

Despite the wear, this powerful piece of early Renaissance sculpture has lost none of its presence and there are still strong areas of detailed carving and drilling, particularly in the mane and along the bottom of the legs.
The subtlety of the modelling is also intact
with impressions of ribs seemingly visible
just below the beautifully textured surface
of the marble. 

This is an impressive and beautiful piece
of Renaissance sculpture rarely available outside of Italy. 

Width: 98 cm
Depth: 43.5 cm
Height: 64.5 cm

SOLD