Reclining Lion
Reclining Lion
3D
Published 2023-08-25T09:28:15+00:00
This lion is a copy of a basalt Egyptian Lion fountain which sits at the bottom of each of the ballisters of the ramp (the Cordonata) leading up from Via del Teatro di Marcello to the Campidoglio. The basalt lions are actually copies of the granite originals from the Temple of Isis, which have been in the Vatican Museum since 1880. These lions were found in front of the church of Santo Stefano del Cacco, whose name came from the two black basalt lions from Numidia that were in front of the church during the time of Pius IV
On special occasions during the 17th Century the fountains were used to spout wine instead of water, one with white wine and the other with red wine, similar to the way wine ran from the Fountain of the Mask.
The original Egyptian lions were sculpted 2,000 years ago during the early Ptolomaic period (late 4th or 3rd century BC).
| Date published | 25/08/2023 |
| Title | Reclining Lion |
| Date | 1st Century BC |
| Accession | KAS1164 |
| Medium | Plaster |
| Record | https://open.smk.dk/artwork/image/KAS1164?q=kas1164&page=0 |
| Artist | Unknown artist |
| Place | SMK - Statens Museum for Kunst |