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Lion's paw, right profile view. (©Archaeological Exploration of Sardis/President and Fellows of Harvard College)
Lion’s Paw
Report 2: Sculpture from Sardis: The Finds through 1975
(1978)
Cat. 37
- Date
- Late 6th or 5th C. BC, Lydian
- Sardis or Museum Inv. No.
- NoEx63.001
- Material
- Marble, Stone
- Object Type
- Sculpture
- Sculpture Type
- Animal, Lion
- Site
- Sardis
- Findspot
- Field of Halil Keskin, S of UT; no other objects found with it.
- Description
- The piece has an interesting stylization of the upper parts of the lion’s claws as a flat band and a similarly ornamental flat band at the back of the leg. The paw is well modeled with high rounded forms of toes. No rough drill was used. It is not a table leg of the usual kind but perhaps from a marble footstool for an image, as on the relief of Assurbanipal II (Kyrieleis, pl.1). The piece is late archaic or 5th C. B.C.
- Condition
Large-grained “local” marble, reddish discoloration
Fragment of larger sculpture, broken off at top. A circular hole in back, probably secondary, for a dowel; original dowel hole in bottom.
- Dimensions
- H. 0.15; L. 0.17; W. 0.14. Hole in back: diam. 0.015; D. 0.055.
- Comments
- Comparisons for footstools: Kyrieleis, Throne und Klinen, 13f., pl. 1 (other Assyrian furniture with lion feet also discussed), pl. 9:1, Achaemenian, p. 181ff., “Möbel mit Tierfüssen.” Cf. also feet of throne, theater of Dionysus, Athens, Richter, Furniture of the Greeks, fig. 139-140, first half 3rd C. B.C.
- See Also
- Bibliography
- Author
- GMAH