Leon; Northern Italy, Romanesque period, 11th-13th centuries.

Leon; Northern Italy, Romanesque period, 11th-13th centuries.
Nembro marble.
It presents faults and losses in the carving.
Measurements: 55 x 103 x 36 cm.
Sculpture in which the artist has carved the figure of a lion in marble. The piece presents a rounded finish of great stylization and idealism. The most likely, by the position presented, is that it was a piece designed to be attached to an architectural complex, probably flanking the entrance of a door, or topping the sides of a tympanum. Aesthetically conceived from the symbolism, the author has created a crouching feline that starts from a great stylization in the forms and a certain hieratism due to the tendency to geometry that is observed especially in the animal's paws. The body and the features of the animar also show that simplicity that exceeds in the treatment of the hair. This iconography comes from the Hellenistic period, and became popular in medieval Europe, conceived as a representation of the power of death, and influenced by the funerary role of the figure of the lion in the Christian religion. It is a metaphor in which lions represent danger, but also power and protection. One of the most relevant aspects in the conception of this sculpture is the link between the figure of the lion and the city of Venice. This feline alludes directly to the evangelist patron saint of the city, St. Mark. This saint is associated with the lion because his Gospel begins talking about the desert, and precisely this animal was considered the king of the desert. In addition, at the beginning of his account, Mark speaks of the Jordan River, around which lived various wild animals, the lion among them. It is also said that Mark is the lion because his Gospel begins by speaking of John the Baptist as "Voice crying in the wilderness", a voice that would be like that of the lion.
During this time Italy became a symbol of power and prestige, giving rise to a lifestyle where concepts such as luxury and magnificence were developed, which were staged in their public festivities. The money generated by trade from the East to Europe through the canals of their city, led them to be the first commercial power of their time and one of the references in terms of sophistication and modernity, thus attracting great artists.