Striding Lion – desk ornament, bronze/brass, northern Italy or southern Germany, 16th century
1200,00 zł
Length: 6.8 cm
Width: 3.3 cm
Height: 4.6 cm
Weight: 225 g
1 in stock
A cabinet sculpture depicting a striding lion, dating from the 16th century, that is, the High Renaissance period. The piece exemplifies the high quality of traditional artistic craftsmanship, characterized by unique stylistic features typical of northern Italian workshops in the Padua and Venice regions or southern German workshops. The figurine captivates with its deliberate, archaic stylization, which draws on earlier Romanesque models—a quality clearly evident in the decorative, banded mane and the deeply sculpted features of the muzzle. The anthropomorphic features of the lion’s muzzle and the deeply carved pupils are textbook examples of Renaissance bronzetti – luxury items created for humanists and the aristocracy to adorn their private cabinets of curiosities (studiolo), where they served as desk ornaments or paperweights. The sculpture is not a mass-produced 19th-century copy, as evidenced by clearly visible traces of hand-chiseled work and numerous small dents and scratches accumulated over the centuries.
The sculpture is covered with a magnificent, natural patina that has formed organically over the course of hundreds of years. In the deep recesses of the mane and around the eyes, the original, nearly black oxides have been preserved, whereas on the most prominent parts of the body—such as the nose, chest, and back—the metal has worn away naturally as a result of repeated contact with human hands. On the undersides of two paws, secondary holes with traces of threading are visible, evidence of a past—likely 19th-century—attempt to mount the figurine on a furniture or clock pedestal. During this process, mechanical stress on the brittle metal caused a fracture and slight deformation of part of the right hind paw. The broken-off fragment has been preserved in its entirety, and the resulting fracture fully reveals the original, granular structure of the brittle alloy, confirming the object’s Renaissance origin.
| Weight | 0,225 kg |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 6,8 × 3,3 × 4,6 cm |
| Type |
Sculpture |
| Form |
Full-plastic sculpture |
| Materiał |
Antique copper alloy (sculptural bronze / old-style brass) |
| Kolorystyka |
Brass ,Dark Gold |
| Technika |
Full lost-wax casting |
| Czas powstania |
16th century |
| Era |
Renaissance |
| Kraj pochodzenia |
northern Italy or southern Germany |
| Autor |
Unknown |
| State of preservation |
Very good |
Related products
Brahma, marble, India, 19th century.
Capital with Figural Decoration, Sandstone, France, 12th-14th Century
Ganesha, marble, India, 19th century.
Krishna, marble, India, 19th century.
Saint John the Evangelist, late Gothic wooden sculpture, ca. 1500
The work may have been part of a winged altarpiece (retabulum), most likely in the Crucifixion group.
St. Augustine reliquary with Ex Ossibus relic, polychrome wood, gilded, Italy, 18th century.
Vajrabhairava in Tantric Union (Yab-Yum) with Vajravetali, gilt and polychromed bronze, Tibet (?), 19th century
The sculpture depicts Vajrabhajrava, or more specifically, his Tantric form. The deity has three heads with angry expressions, crowned with a crown of skulls, symbolizing the direct destruction of illusion. Inside the crown, flames burst forth, a fire of wisdom burning away ignorance. Emerging from them is the head of a gentle animal - it belongs to Vajrabhajrava himself (his higher aspect).
The figure has six arms, symbolizing the multifaceted activity of the enlightened mind, and holds ritual attributes. The outstretched wings are a rarer but significant feature, representing a transcendental aspect and the overcoming of samsaric limitations. Vajrabhairava stands in a dynamic pose on a lotus base, trampling a male and female figure. These figures symbolize ignorance (avidya), attachment, anger, ego, and the illusion of duality.