For visitors, Venice is a glorious tapestry of historical buildings, canals, bellings, red roofs – and a powerful winged liono Symbol of the Venetian Republiccarved in structures throughout the city.
Possibly the most famous version of the lion is a bronze statue that is at the top of a column in Piazzetta, next to St. Mark’s Square – and now, Researchers think the statue was made in China.
After studying metal lion samples using lead isotope analysis, researchers at the University of Padua, northern Italy, found that the copper used to create the bronze alloy (which is a mixture of copper and tin) in the original work came from na chinaaccording to a study published in Antiquity magazine.
This, they said, would explain why the 4 meter long and 2.2 meters high statue, previously considered locally made in Syria or Anatolia, is stylistically mysterious.
Although it has been installed in St. Mark’s Square in the thirteenth century, the lion is more like work produced in China during the Tang Dynasty – from 618 to 907 AD – than to those found in medieval Mediterranean Europe, the researchers argue, quoting the shape of their muzzle and scars from the removal of anterior horns.
The column in which the lion rests on is Anatolia (part of Modern Türkiye), and the lion itself was repaired several times, with the first instance recorded in 1293.
“It is possible that Marco Polo’s father and uncle, during the four years who passed the court of Kublai Khan on his first trip, were responsible for the acquisition of the sculpture,” said the researchers, adding that the visit probably occurred between 1264 and 1268.
The animal was originally a zhènmùshòu, a monumental and fierce guardian of tombs, similar to a lion of the Tang dynasty, speculate the authors.
After the poles sent the statue back to Italy after the visit to the Mongol Court, it was probably “discreetly and laboriously readjusted” to look like St. Mark’s sacred emblem, with the horns removed and an added “wig”, they added.
“In an intriguing absence of written information, the intention and logistics behind their trip to Venice remain elusive and open to interpretation. If the ‘lion’ installation intended to send a strong defensive political message, we can now read it as a symbol of the impressive connection of the medieval world,” he added.
