The bronze statue of the symbol of the Venetian republic, a winged lion, that stands atop a column in the Piazzetta adjoining St. Mark’s Square may be Chinese:
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.
Maybe the tang dynasty got the story of winged dragons from gobi desert dinosaur fossils. Adrienne mayer, the first fossil hunters.
It couldn’t possibly have come from Babylonia or Persia, areas absolutely overflowing with winged lion art.