A pair of white marble Medici lions, Italian, 2nd half 19th century

The original ancient marble lion on which these are based is first recorded by Flaminio Vacca in 1594, by which time it had been acquired by Grand Duke Ferdinand for the Villa Medici in Rome. Vacca carved a companion lion  out of a giant marble capital found behind the Palazzo dei Conservatori and the original and companion pair were placed  in the loggia of the Villa Medici before being moved  in 1797 to the entrance of the loggia dei Lanzi in Florence.

They were copied in porcelain,and bronze during the 18^th and 19^th Centuries as well as in marble.