Marble Statue Of A Lion English Literature Essay

Recently, I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and saw a sculpture titled “Marble statue of a lion.” As the title indicates, it is literally a stone sculpture of a lion, from the Ancient Greece. The description on the sculpture informs us that it is from the Classical Period, specifically from approximately 400 BC. The marble statue is significant for many reasons. During the Classical Period, art (sculpture in particular) was very important, and these works of art have been extremely influential in generations to follow. The figure of the lion itself has cultural importance in Ancient Greece. Also, the way the statue is presented highlights the subject matter’s meaning. The lion symbolizes strength and power; the artistic qualities, display and historical context all serve to enhance the sculpture’s overall meaning and this sculpture is representative of much larger trends in terms of Ancient Greek art. “Marble statue of a lion” represents larger cultural and historical trends as well as artistic trends of the time period and beyond.

Cultural context is important to truly understanding the “Marble statue of a lion.” The sculpture is from the Greek Classical period. Carl Roebuck asserts that “In the context of the art, architecture, and culture of Ancient Greece, the classical period corresponds to most of the 5th and 4th centuries BC,” (241). Greek art and sculpture were revolutionized during the Classical Period. It was during this period that real human beings were used as subject matter, and sculpture became far more detailed. Many of the art works that I observed in the gallery follow this trend, and I noticed that the works that had tremendous detail generally seemed to be from the Classical Period. As I will discuss, the piece that I studied typifies the focus on detail and realistic elements that was evident during Classical Greece.

A roaring lion is the subject matter on which this sculpture is based. The lion had many symbolic qualities in Ancient Greece. Many of these qualities can be found within Greek mythology, as well as other customs and traditions. According the statue’s text, “Marble statues of lions were sometimes used as tomb monuments or as guardians at both ends of a large tomb façade.” The lion had value as protector of the dead, which demonstrates the lion’s ferocity. The lion was seen as very valuable since the Greek honored their deceased, and this beast was entrusted to prevent anyone from disturbing the dead. In Greek mythology, there was the Nemean Lion. Ron Leadbetter states that “The first labor for the hero Hercules, was to rid the Nemean plain of the wild, enormous and extremely ferocious beast known as the Nemean Lion.” After an intense struggle, Hercules killed the lion with his bare hands, and then used its impenetrable skin as a cloak. The epic struggle that transpired between Hercules and the lion shows how powerful and ferocious lions were viewed. Hercules was soon as a true symbol of strength, so for the lion to put up such a great fight meant that the lion was extraordinarily powerful. The intense nature of the struggle also exemplifies the depiction of lion’s in Greek culture. Even after the lion was killed, its body was used in a way that emphasizes its strength. Since Hercules used the skin as a cloak, the lion once again “protects,” much like its function in guarding tombs, except in this case the lion is dead rather than protecting the dead.

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In addition to mythology, Aesop frequently referenced the lion as a symbol of power and strength, especially in the fable”Lion’s Share” (Anthony). Also, the ancient text Physiologus contains a story in which an old lion breathes life into dead cubs. The famous idea of the lion as a “king of beasts” was developed in classical Greece, and the parable reflects the qualities that lions have grown to become symbolic of. Clearly, the subject matter of this statue has great cultural and historical significance in Ancient Greece.

The medium and technique of this sculpture also represent trends in terms of Greek art. In Ancient Greece, marble was commonly used in sculpting: “The rich marble deposits in Greek soil gave sculptors promising material” (Western Civilization: Beyond Boundaries 71). The curator indicated that the marble used in this particular sculpture is speculated to be parian marble, which, according to Timothy Darvill, “…is a fine-grained semitranslucent pure-white and entirely flawless marble quarried during the classical era on the Greek island of Paros in the Aegean Sea.” Many of the greatest masterpiece sculptures of Ancient Greece were made of parian marble, which is quite rare and valuable. The quality of the marble is evident in the near-perfect physical condition of the statue. I was impressed that a statue from Ancient Greece could look as good as this one does. The only flaw with the lion statue is that the tail is broken, but there is not much wear and tear at all considering how old it is. The strength of the marble also relates to the cultural significance of this subject matter, since the lion was viewed as a strong and powerful figure.

The statue’s display is also noteworthy. The stance of the lion (as if it is ready to attack) can be frightening. I noticed some small children who seemed to be afraid of the statue. Since it is placed on a pedestal made of wood, the sculpture is even bigger and more intimidating than one would think. The lion is a dominant figure and it stands out from the other exhibits nearby. It is not confined to a case, so it appears out in the open as if to suggest the lion is fearless and invulnerable.

When compared with the other Greek works in the gallery, there are many notable aspects that speak volumes as to the artistic trends of the time. For one, during the Classical Period there was an emphasis on muscle structure/body. A fascination with the body and muscles led to more realistic looking sculptures during this era. Usually this trend was reserved for human statues, but the lion statue exhibits a great degree of detail with regard to muscle structure. You can see a lot of muscle definition in the legs and the rib area; these details represent the artistic trends of the Classical Period. The realistic (by the standards of the era) look of the statue makes it easy to identify it with the Classical Period rather than other periods of Ancient Greece.

Over 2000 years after its construction, the “Marble statue of a lion” remains a remarkable achievement of Greek Classical art. The lion has tremendous historical and cultural significance which contribute to the overall meaning of the statue. Many hallmarks of Ancient Greek art are identified via the statue, including the parian marble that was used to build it (which has remained strong after all these years). Another trend that can be seen is the emphasis on detail and more realistic traits, which is similar to some of the other classical Greek works of art I saw at the museum. The lion, however, is unique in its own way because of the way that it is prominently displayed by the museum. Showcasing the value and meaning of the lion as strong and powerful, as well as some of the defining characteristics of Greek art, the “Marble statue of a lion” was worth my trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.