Cultural connections: Lion Funerary Monument.Greece (Attica). Lion Funerary fu·ner·ar·y adj. Of or suitable for a funeral or burial. [Latin f  ner Monument, ca. 350 BC. Pentelic
marble 33 1/4 x 15 3/4 x 76 3/4" (84.5 x 40 x 195 cm). John J.
Emery John Josiah Emery (28 January 1898 — 1976), developer of the Carew Tower (1931) in Cincinnati, Ohio, at the time the tallest building west of the Alleghenies, and the Netherlands Plaza Hotel, opened at the same time, was a major figure in the city's cultural life for more Fund, 1946.40. From the Cincinnati Museum of Art.
About the Art The Lion Funerary Monument depicts a lion in the deep crouching stance of a guard protecting its tomb. The lion remained the favorite animal to guard Greek tombs for more than three centuries. It is easy to understand why the lion was a popular funerary marker; as the king; of all the animals, the lion sewed sew v. sewed, sewn or sewed, sew·ing, sews v.tr. 1. To make, repair, or fasten by stitching, as with a needle and thread or a sewing machine: as an effective grave guardian. A symbol of virtue, the lion also memorialized the bravery of the deceased. For this reason, it often functioned as the central ornament ornament, in architecture ornament, in architecture, decorative detail enhancing structures. Structural ornament, an integral part of the framework, includes the shaping and placement of the buttress, cornice, molding, ceiling, and roof and the capital and for mass communal graves erected in honor of the war dead. The museum's lion epitomizes this tradition. Like others of its kind, it originally stood, either alone or as one of a pair, at the corner of a raised family burial. Its monumental size and the quality of the cawing suggest that it adorned a·dorn tr.v. a·dorned, a·dorn·ing, a·dorns 1. To lend beauty to: "the pale mimosas that adorned the favorite promenade" Ronald Firbank. 2. the grave of a prominent Athenian, perhaps a military officer. About the Artist The museum's Lion Funerary Monument is the work of an Athenian sculptor. The marble was obtained from the quarries of Mount Pentelikos near Athens, which also supplied material for the Parthenon and other monuments of classical Athens. The lion's pose and form are typical of Athenian art of the fourth century BC. All of these definitive stylistic components make it easily placed as Athenian. Things to Consider The museum's Lion Funerary Monument depicts a lion as a grave marker because it was thought that the lion was a brave and noble animal and would guard the tomb well. Discuss with students the use of animals as symbols and why we associate certain animals with certain feelings or traits. Example: The monkey is often thought of as silly or mischievous mis·chie·vous adj. 1. Causing mischief. 2. Playful in a naughty or teasing way. 3. Troublesome; irritating: a mischievous prank. 4. ; the donkey, slow and brainless brain·less adj. Unintelligent; stupid. brain  less·ly adv.brain . As a class, make a list of animals and their corresponding traits. Discuss why certain traits are assigned to certain animals and why? GalleryCards submitted by the Cincinnati Museum of Art. |
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