Artist: Artist Unknown
Year: 1989 reproduction, C.1250
Materials: Marble
Dimensions: 5′ x 2′ x 5′ (each)

About Lions of Lucca

The city of Lucca was founded by Etruscans and became a Roman colony in 180 BC. During the period of “Romanesque” architecture in the 12th century, the lion was considered a symbol of political and economic power in Italy. It was customary for pairs of lions to be used for church adornment, public buildings, and gateways to estates and cities. The two original “Lions of Lucca” flank the entry way wall to the city of Lucca in the Tuscany region of Italy. During the tenth-eleventh centuries Lucca was the capital of the feudal Margrave.