One of the most famous statues in Venice was most likely cast in the 7th–8th centuries during the Chinese Tang Empire.
The winged lion statue that stands in St. Mark’s Square in Venice and is the symbol of the city was made in China. This is the conclusion reached by a group of researchers from the University of Padua, Ca’ Foscari University and the International Association for Mediterranean and Oriental Studies. The statue was last examined in detail in the 1980s, when it was believed to have been made in Anatolia in the 4th century BC.
The main argument of the new work is the analysis of bronze. Judging by the isotopes of lead, which was part of the alloy, this metal comes from the mines of the lower Yangtze (southeastern China). Based on these details, the researchers found analogies to the lion in sculptures of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD).
Similar statues in the Tang Empire guarded tombs, usually placed near the entrance. These were fantastic beasts that were supposed to guard the souls of the dead and scare away evil spirits. The lion from Venice has the same wide nostrils, upward-facing whiskers, a wide open mouth with fangs, and protruding eyebrows. Chinese figures had horns on such eyebrows, and the Venetian sculpture has preserved cuts in this place. It seems that the lion’s ears were also cropped, since those of the Chinese “colleagues” are more elongated and pointed. There are also analogies in the depiction of the chest and mane.
It is assumed that the lion came to Europe via the Great Silk Road, through India and Afghanistan, which was very active during the Tang Dynasty. But there are no direct written sources about this. Marco Polo reported about the lion at the end of the 13th century, but by that time the sculpture had already been installed on a column and needed restoration, which means it had been there for at least several decades.
The lion weighs about 3 tons and is about 4 meters long, so it was most likely delivered in disassembled form. Researchers have recorded that the sculpture was not cast in one piece either – it consists of at least 6-7 parts.
Based on materials The History Blog and University of Padua.
Source: www.nkj.ru
