Recumbent lion

Unknown

18th–19th century · Sardonyx, mounted in gold as a pendant · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Cameos displaying animals, a mainstay of ancient Roman glyptics revived by Neoclassical engravers, filled the cabinets of European royalty. Particularly fetching is the way the carver of the leopard capitalized on brownish flecks in the stone to give the beast its spots. The grinning recumbent lion shows a fine contrast of matte and polished surfaces. The carver of the walking lion nearly exhausted the stone’s red layer when forming the tail.

Artist

Unknown

Date

18th–19th century

Medium

Sardonyx, mounted in gold as a pendant

Culture

probably Italian

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

The Milton Weil Collection, 1939