10x5.5x15 In (Each).

Carved in alabaster with warm, mottled tones, this striking pair of lions is modeled after the celebrated Medici Lions, today standing sentinel at the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence. Each lion is depicted with rippling musculature, a flowing mane, and an expressive, slightly parted mouth, and one forepaw firmly placed upon a sphere, attributes long associated with this sculptural type. 

The Medici Lions themselves form a storied pair: one an ancient Roman marble dating to the 2nd century AD, the other a 16th-century pendant commissioned to complement it. Installed at the Villa Medici in Rome by the late 16th century. However, upon the villa's sale, the pair was moved in 1789 to the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence, where they have stood as guardians of the city.

Non-exportable

Provenance: The Estate of Mangaldas Nathubhai