An important Monumental Carved Stone Lion, Taifa, Kingdom of Badajoz, Spain, 11th Century

of rose granite carved in the form of a male lion with a wide open mouth with bared teeth and long stylised frontal mane

In overall good condition, surface abrasion consistent with age, missing front paws, as viewed.
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Attributable on stylistic grounds to the castle of Magacela (Umm Gazala) in Badajoz, Spain, and evidently part of a larger figural group, this monumental sculpture represents a unique example of Muslim craftsmanship in al-Andalus.

The castle of Magacela was conquered by Abd Al-Aziz ibn Musa ibn Nusair in the year 714 AD. The Arab millitary settlement at Badajoz is described by Abu Abdullah Al-Bakri (1014-1094 AD) in his work Kitab al-Masalik wa'l-Mamalik. The castle today holds the church of Saint Anne, which was constructed on the foundation of an ancient mosque built during the rule of the Taifa kingdom of Badajoz (1009-1094 AD). The existence of other related though fragmentary lions in the Museo Arqueológico Provincial, Badajoz, suggests that the group constitutes a sculptural ensemble. Evidence suggests that some of the other sculptures were severely damaged at some stage in their history, some even missing heads, emphasizing the rarity of this particular lion. It is possible that these sculptures were positioned around a fountain similar to the better-known example in the Courtyard of the Lions in the Alhambra. Like the group in Badajoz, each of the stone lions in the Alhambra is different and unique. 

A carved stone "throne" found within the walls of the Alcazaba or citadel at Badajoz, and now housed in the Museo Arqueológico Provincial (inv. no. 587/14.30 Q) has two lion-form terminals that show a similar degree of stylisation with the characteristically strong and expressive yet geometric qualities of the modelling of the face and mane (see Les Andalousies: de Damas à Cordoue, exhibition catalogue, Paris, 2000, p.145, no.155). The Badajoz "throne", together with the afore-mentioned leonine sculptures, including the present example, show clear evidence of Fatimid influence suggesting commercial and other contacts, whilst testifying to a flourishing tradition of monumental stone carving in Muslim al-Andalus in the eleventh century.