Italian Grand Tour Bronze Medici Lions

Country: Italy

Date: Circa 1840

Medium: Bronze, Marble

Dimensions

Height: 20.00cm (7.87 inches)

Width: 29.00cm (11.42 inches)

Depth: 13.00cm (5.12 inches)

Main description

This pair of Italian Grand Tour bronze Medici lions dates to circa 1840 and is finely chased throughout, with both bronzes displaying a rich patination. Each lion is raised on a later marble plinth base.

The Medici lions are shown standing with one paw resting on a sphere or ball, following the celebrated sculptural type associated with the Villa Medici in Rome. The form became one of the most recognisable classical motifs encountered by wealthy travellers on the Grand Tour.

Bronzes of this scale and quality would have appealed directly to the Grand Tour market, where classical sculpture, architectural fragments and reduced bronze models were acquired as souvenirs of travel and symbols of classical education and taste.

The finely chased surface detail remains clearly defined, while the bronzes have developed an attractive patination with age. The later marble bases provide a substantial setting for the pair without altering the character of the original bronzes.

View the Complete Freshfords Objet d’Art Furniture collection.

Literature

See accompanying images displaying the original Medici lions at Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence and their original location the Villa Medici in Rome.

What are the Medici Lions? 

The Medici lions are a pair of iconic marble sculptures depicting standing lions with one paw resting on a sphere or ball. Carved to guard the entrance of the Villa Medici in Rome, the sculptures became a celebrated symbol of power, vigilance, and classical grandeur throughout European art and design history.

The pair consists of two distinct origins. One is a genuine ancient Roman marble dating from the second century, which was reworked in the sixteenth century by the sculptor Flaminio Vacca. The second was carved as a matching pendant by Vacca in 1598 to complete the pair for Grand Duke Ferdinando I de’ Medici. The lions remained at the Villa Medici until 1789, when they were relocated to the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence, where the original marbles remain on public view today.

Throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the Medici lions achieved immense popularity across grand European estates and country houses. As young aristocrats encountered the famous pair during the Grand Tour, demand surged for high quality scale copies and decorative adaptations. Renowned foundries and manufacturers, including Coade stone producers, bronze founders, and porcelain workshops, reproduced the famous composition in cast iron, bronze, plaster, and carved stone to adorn grand hall entranceways, mantelpieces, and garden terraces.

What was the Grand Tour? 

The Grand Tour was an essential educational rite of passage undertaken by wealthy young British aristocrats and gentlemen during the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. Travelling across mainland Europe with tutors and guides, these young elites embarked on extensive itineraries through France and Italy, culminating in extended stays in cultural capitals such as Florence, Venice, and Rome. The primary purpose was to complete a classical education, study ancient art and architecture, master foreign languages, and acquire the refined social graces necessary for high society and political life in Britain.

As well as shaping taste and connoisseurship, the Grand Tour served as a major driver of the European art and antiques market. Grand Tourists enthusiastically bought up classical antiquities, Renaissance paintings, fine bronzes, micro-mosaics, and architectural models to ship back to their country estates. This influx of continental treasures profoundly influenced British architecture and interior design, popularising Neoclassicism and inspiring domestic craftsmen, bronze founders, and cabinet makers to create sophisticated furnishings catered to a newly refined, internationally traveled clientele.

Why Buy From Freshfords Antiques?

Established in 1987, Freshfords Antiques has spent nearly four decades sourcing and curating the finest examples of English antique furniture. Our reputation is built upon a deep-rooted specialism in the Georgian and Regency periods, where we focus on selecting pieces that retain their genuine age, original patination, and unimpeachable authenticity. We believe that an antique should not only be a significant historical object but also a functional and beautiful addition to a contemporary home.

As proud members of the British Antique Dealers’ Association (BADA), we operate under a rigorously enforced code of conduct that prioritises professional integrity and expertise. Membership of BADA is only granted after a thorough election procedure and is subject to annual review, ensuring that our clients can purchase with complete confidence. When you acquire a piece from Freshfords, you are benefiting from a wealth of experience, a dedication to craftsmanship, and a commitment to preserving the heritage of the finest English cabinet making.