Guardian Lion
A seated stone lion with a deeply carved, curling mane, open jaws and a muscular chest rests on a rough-edged square base. Its forelegs are planted firmly and the paws grip the plinth, giving the figure a watchful, upright pose. The smooth modeling of the body contrasts with the textured mane.
Look closer: A small carved paw and claw detail is partly hidden behind the lion's far foreleg on the left side of the base.
- Artist
- Unknown
- Date
- c. 600
- Medium
- white marble
- Source
- The Cleveland Museum of Art
- Size
- 2277 × 3400 px
Public domain · The Cleveland Museum of Art releases this image under CC0 (latest date 650).
Rights checked 2026-11-05 · tier A · as stated by the source: CC0 (Cleveland Museum of Art Open Access, share_license_status=CC0)
Rights checked 2026-11-05 · tier A · as stated by the source: CC0 (Cleveland Museum of Art Open Access, share_license_status=CC0)
Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund