Venice’s famous winged lion statue is actually Chinese, scientists say

By Amy Woodyatt, CNN

To visitors, Venice is a glorious tapestry of historic buildings, waterways, bell towers, red roofs — and a mighty winged lion, the symbol of the Venetian republic, carved into structures across the city.

Possibly the most famous version of the lion is a bronze statue standing atop a column in the Piazzetta adjoining St. Mark’s Square — and now, researchers think the statue was made in China.

After studying samples from the metal lion using lead isotope analysis, researchers from northern Italy’s University of Padua found that the copper used to create the bronze alloy (which is a mix of copper and tin) on the original bronze work came from the Yangtze river in China, according to a study published in the journal Antiquity on Thursday.

This, they said, would explain why the 4-meter- (13-foot-) long and 2.2-meter- (7-foot-) high statue, previously thought to have been made locally, in Syria or Anatolia, is stylistically mysterious.

Although it was installed in St. Mark’s Square in the 13th century, the lion more closely resembles work produced in China during the Tang Dynasty — 618 to 907 AD — than that found in medieval Mediterranean Europe, the researchers argue, citing the shape of its snout and scars from the removal of earlier horns.

The column on which the lion stands is from Anatolia (part of modern-day Turkey), and the lion itself has been repaired several times, with the earliest recorded instance in 1293.

“It is possible that Marco Polo’s father and uncle, during the four years they spent at the court of Kublai Khan during their first journey, were responsible for the acquisition of the sculpture,” the researchers said, adding that the visit likely took place between 1264 and 1268.

The animal was originally a zhènmùshòu, a monumental, fierce, lion-like tomb guardian from the Tang Dynasty, the authors speculate.

Once the Polos sent the statue back to Italy after their visit to the Mongol court, it was probably “discreetly and laboriously refitted” to look like the holy emblem of St. Mark, with horns removed and a “wig” added, they added.

“In a puzzling absence of written information, the intention and logistics behind its journey to Venice remain elusive and open to interpretation. If the installation of the ‘Lion’ was meant to send a strong, defensive political message, we can now also read it as a symbol of the impressive connectedness of the medieval world,” they added.

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