Bronze Medici Lion With Brown Patina On A Marble Base, 19th Century.

A bronze Medici Lion with a brown patina, mounted on a double-tiered, beveled base of yellow marble (Sienna yellow or breccia). The lion is depicted walking, its right forepaw resting on a sphere (ball), after the famous Medici Lion. This bronze was made after one of the two marble lions located at the Villa Medici in Rome (now in the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence). The lion represents strength and nobility. The sphere beneath the paw evokes world domination or the mastery of power. In the 19th century, young aristocrats and the European upper middle class undertook the Grand Tour (an educational journey through Italy). These small bronzes were sold as luxury souvenirs. The Medici Lion was one of the most sought-after models, often sold in pairs (the "Florentine" lion facing the "Roman" lion). Italy, 19th century. Total height: 7 cm. Total length: 13.1 cm. Total width: 8.2 cm. Length of the bronze alone: 8 cm.