Marble Recumbant lions

Agnolo di Ventura (1290 – 1349) (circle of)
Recumbant lions as supports

Marble
Tuscany, 1st half of the 14th Century

H 35 x W 20 x D 67 cm (Lion A)
H 13 4/5 x W 7 7/8 x D 26 2/5 inch
H 43 x W 22 x D 65 cm (Lion B)
H 17 x W 8 2/3 x D 25 2/3 inch





This pair of lions is carved in white marble with soft patination and subtle weathering, each lion rests on a rectangular plinth with its forepaws extended. Their stylised manes, rooted in Gothic naturalism, cascade along the shoulders in rhythmic grooves. The muzzles are full, the eyes deep-set and ponderous, and the facial expression a dignified, watchful calm rather than overt aggression. A carved defeat beneath a paw symbolises the lion’s dominion, the figures display a saddle or support on their back to support a most likely helix ’ed column.

Within early 14th-century Tuscan sculpture, these lions reflect the transition from rigid Gothic forms to a more naturalistic early-Renaissance sensibility. Tuscany at this time saw works by artists like Giovanni Pisano embracing lifelike anatomy and emotive presence. Decorative beasts such as lions were commonplace in clerical and civic architecture, frequently framing portals or supporting altars. Parallels emerge between these lions and a noted pair in the Bode Museum, Berlin, commonly attributed to Agnolo di Ventura (Inventory 41 & 42); or the pair from the Tomb of Bernabo Malaspina in the Worcester Museum (inv. 1925.6). Those lions are similarly poised: recumbent, guard-like, with refined manes and subdued demeanour, a balance of elegance and authority that typifies Tuscan sculptural sensibilities of the Trecento.