The winged lion is one of the historical symbols of Venice.It was on the flag of the Republic of Venice, its bas-relief is on the top of St. Mark’s Cathedral, and it also appears as a bronze sculpture on top of a column at the entrance to the most important part of the city, St. Mark’s Square.
According to tradition, the winged lion represents Mark the Evangelist. In turn, Venetian legend has it that when St. Mark was traveling around Europe, he reached the lagoon in Venice. Then an angel appeared to him and said that this was where his body would rest.
The bronze sculpture is located on one of two large granite columns that were erected between 1172 and 1177. Previous research indicates that the unique statue was lion-griffin and was part of a monument to the god Sandon in Tarsus dating from around 300 BC
According to scientists, the sculpture weighing about 3,000 kg is a composite of various pieces of bronze created at very different times. Over the centuries, it was necessary to preserve it and “replace” parts of the monument.
Research conducted in the 1980s showed that an extraordinary sculpture created between the end of the 4th and the beginning of the 3rd century BC., “somewhere in the Hellenistic Greek or Oriental Greek world.”
Experts suggest that the statue, in its current form, was assembled in the Middle Ages. The earliest mention of the lion dates back to 1293, when it was noted that it had been restored “after long neglect.” In 1815, the statue was damaged and fell into about 20 pieces. It was reunited and redesigned in 1816.
Scientists specializing in geology, chemistry, archaeology and art history have now conducted an in-depth bronze alloy analysiswhich was used in the creation of the famous Venetian winged lion. The results of the research literally shocked the researchers, because revealed the Chinese origin of the statue. It connects it with trade along the Silk Road.
Lead isotope studies have shown that they come from mines in the lower Yangtze River basin in southeastern China. Detailed stylistic analyses of the forms show that the statue is an elaborate reconstruction zhènmùshòu (tomb guardian) cast during the Tang period (609-907 AD).
Tomb Guardians they were to serve the deceased in his afterlife. At the same time, they were to scare away potential robbers and evil spirits. In the 7th century, the sculptures were placed in pairs, one had a face similar to a human, and the other had the face of a lion.
Among common features of the lion of St. Mark and the zhènmùshòu these include identical wide nostrils, characteristic upward-pointing whiskers, a wide open mouth with a pair of widely spaced canines in the upper jaw and canines with less spacing in the lower jaw, as well as a flat row of teeth between the aforementioned canines and prominent eye sockets.
Studies have revealed that the lion of St. Mark has corrected eye sockets, suggesting that it once had horns or antlers. At the same time, its ears also appear to be cropped and rounded. Zhènmùshòu had longer and more pointed ears.
The new discoveries have sparked a flood of questions about the history of the statue and its travel from China to Europe. Researchers point out that the statue was already on the column when Marco Polo returned from his great expedition to Asia in 1295.
This shows that the lion reached Venice under mysterious circumstances. Experts also suggest that the statue may have reached Europe thanks to Marco Polo’s father, Nicolò, and uncle Maffeo, who visited Mongolian court in Beijing in the years 1264-1266.
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Source: geekweek.interia.pl
