Pair of patinated bronze lions - Italy 1800

Pair of patinated bronze lions
from the Italian Empire period Circa 1800.
The lions represented with one of the front legs resting on a sphere in reference to the six Medici balls, are a version of the Medici lions,
emblem of the city of Florence.
Our sculptures are very close to the version executed by Flaminio Vacca around 1594 and in situ since 1789 at the Loggia del Lanzi in Florence
These two sculptures are each based on a very elegant bronze base with on the front, in the center, a bas relief decoration of the portrait of Mercury, god of commerce, with a decoration of palmettes on either side