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The sculptures depict standing male lions with a sphere or ball under one paw, looking to the side. Copies of the Medici lions have been made and publicly installed in over 30 other locations, and smaller versions made in a variety of media; Medici lion has become the term for the type. [citation needed]
The male lion has his right front paw on a type of cloth ball simply called an "embroidered ball" (繡球; xiù qiú), which is sometimes carved with a geometric pattern. The female is essentially identical, but has a cub under the left paw, representing the cycle of life.
The lions are not completely identical or merely mirror images: they have their heads turned east and west respectively (i.e., away from each other) and both gaze northwards, but both rest their left paw on a globe. The sculptures measure 1.7 × 2.7 × 1.0 meters, and the granite pedestals measure 1.9 × 2.7 × 1.2 meters. [1]
The two carved limestone companion pieces depict seated male lions, each with its front paw placed on a sphere. They are approximately 7 feet (2.1 m) tall and weigh 2,900 pounds (1,300 kg) each. They been placed in three different locations.
The sculpture is made of two stylized Chinese lions set on pedestals, facing each other. The female lion on the west holds a little cub in her arms. The male lion on the east plays with an embroidery ball. The lions represent luck and happiness. A gold inscription on the proper right side of the base of the female lion reads:
The Albani lion. The Albani lion is a 1st-century Roman green basalt lion statue with a yellow marble sphere under one paw, in the Albani Collection in the Denon Wing of the Louvre (inventory number Ma 1355) in Paris, France.
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The Marzocco is the heraldic lion that is a symbol of Florence, and was apparently the first piece of public secular sculpture commissioned by the Republic of Florence, in the late 14th century. The lion stood at the heart of the city in the Piazza della Signoria at the end of the platform attached to the Palazzo Vecchio called the ringhiera ...