Monumental Lion

Cast in one piece by the lost-wax method, this monumental bronze lion has been linked either to Islamic Spain or to Norman southern Italy—a region where Arab, Byzantine and European craftsmen and ideas converged.

Its hollow body, open mouth and internal channel have inspired several theories. It may have served as a fountain or incense burner; most tantalisingly, air passing through a resonating chamber may once have made the animal appear to roar.

Arabic inscriptions and boldly stylised anatomy make the beast both formidable and enigmatic. It is a rare survivor from a world in which engineering, spectacle and political authority could be embodied in a single object.