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Art Exhibit:
More Stone Lions!

by the Phantom

Over the past year I've been snapping photos of stone lions in public places whenever I run across them. I often wonder what future archeologists will think when they sift through the ruins of our civilization and find so many crumbling cats.

As these samples show, stone lions have been decorating public spaces for eons.

Here's an old postcard that says:
Seated Lion. Limestone. Greek Archaic period. (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)

Burnside, Portland, OR

Here's my most recent photograph, taken in July 2000, of one of the magnificent Chinese lions that guard the entrance to Portland's Chinatown. I couldn't tell but wonder what they are actually guarding. When I was growing up in Portland, mom always told me to stay away from Burnside. I think things are changing now.

I made a quick visit to Cincinnati in May of 2000 and found a lovely little park in the Hyde Park District. There's a large fountain n the center of it with four lion-head water spouts -- thirsty lions?

Hyde Park, Cincinnati lion

St. Helena, CA restaurant lion

Some lions look fierce, other stern, some are sleeping, others roaring. This one looks more like a housecat after a pleasant meal. I found this one outside the entrance to Tra Vigne in St. Helena -- like maybe it had just eaten well. I won't speculate on what might have been for dinner.

Here's a half-human, half-lion statue that I've been looking at for years without really noticing. You can find it guarding the Egyptian Museum in my adopted hometown, San Jose, California. It appears to be meditating.

Museum Lion, San Jose, CA

Museum Lion, Chicago Il.

Lions love to guard museums. Here's one of a pair of my favorite lions. They guard the Chicago Art Institute on Michigan Avenue. Notice how serious he is.

And finally, here's another postcard lion from my collection. It says:

Glazed Brick Lion, Babylonian. VI century BC. (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)

I continue to be amazed by all the lions I've run across in public spaces. They are everywhere: standing guard, sleeping, spewing water, roaring, twitching, and generally reminding us of the power of their cat-like behavior. Stay tuned...there are more to come.

Clever Magazine has been investigating lion statues for years. If you're interested,
here's the list of articles on the subject so far:

The Investigation begins ~ a San Francisco lion, Italian lions
Lion Symbolism ~ Venice lions
More Lions ~ US lions, postcard lions
The Investigation continues ~ reader responses
The Lion of Lucerne ~ the Swiss lion
Lions in Paris ~ Paris photo essay
Even more on Lions ~ a reader response
Miscellaneous Lions ~ continuing the investigation
More Paris Lions ~ further contributions to our growing lion statue archive
Scott Beavin's Lion Photos ~ photos of Firenze
Confederate Memorial Lion ~ a memorial to Confederate soldiers
More lions ~ info about Belfort Lion and a few more photos
Timmie's Lion Obsession, a photo essay

If you have any lion photos or information to share, we'd love to hear from you.
Contact editor@clevermag.com

For more information on Chinese Lion Statues, check out Greg Pringle's website

We heard from Maarten from The Netherlands, who photographs lion statues for his website, which is called Shooting Safari: Lions. Check it out!