Statuette of a Lion (380–246 BCE): Art, History and Details

Statuette of a Lion (380–246 BCE) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Lions in Egyptian art are usually shown prone and relaxed, and usually represent the king. But this statuette probably represents the lion god Mahes who had a great temple at Leontopolis ("Lion-City") in the Delta where lions were kept. We know from classical authors that the temple maintained musicians to play to the lions to calm their nerves.

Object facts

• Title: Statuette of a Lion
• Date: 380–246 BCE
• Culture: Egypt, Late period (715–332 BCE), Dynasty 30
• Type: Sculpture
• Technique: limestone
• Dimensions: Overall: 13.8 x 12 cm (5 7/16 x 4 3/4 in.)
• Collection: Egypt - Late Period
• Department: Egyptian and Ancient Near Eastern Art
• Accession number: 1920.2001

A detail from the museum

In antiquity, lions were often associated with rulers and this miniature sculpture likely depicts the Egyptian lion god Mahes. In ancient Egypt, a special city known as Leontopolis, or "Lion-City," had a temple dedicated to this deity in which live lions were kept. This small limestone sculpture would have been at home in such a location.

Collection credit

Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust

Further reading listed by the museum

• University of Missouri--Columbia. Egyptian Art Under the Greeks and Romans, 332 B.C. to A.D. 330: Museum of Art and Archaeology, University of Missouri-Columbia, September 26-November 15, 1987. Columbia, Mo: Museum of Art and Archaeology, University of Missouri-Columbia, 1987.
• Berman, Lawrence M., and Kenneth J. Bohač. Catalogue of Egyptian Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1999

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.