The Lion of Venice has looked down over the city’s Piazza for more than 700 years.
An icon of political power, the bronze sculpture is even depicted on the Republic’s flag.
But rather than being created in a Venetian foundry or European forge, it was actually made nearly 6,000 miles (9,650km) away in Asia, according to a new study.
The Lion, which weighs approximately 3,000kg, was likely cast from copper obtained from the Lower Yangzi River basin in China, experts say.
And instead of being inspired by Mesopotamian and Persian lion–headed griffins, it appears much more similar to tomb guardian sculptures (zhènmùshòu) from the Tang Dynasty.
‘Venice is a city full of mysteries, but one has been solved,’ Dr Massimo Vidale, from the University of Padua, said.
‘The ‘Lion’ of St Mark is Chinese, and he walked the Silk Road.’
There are no known written records pertaining to the origins of the famed sculpture, despite its importance to Venice’s culture and history.
The famous Winged Lion stands atop the Column of San Marco – but it may have originated thousands of miles away in Asia
The Lion, which weighs approximately 3,000kg, was likely cast from copper obtained from the Lower Yangzi River basin in China
The winged lion has developed into an icon of political power, and is even depicted on the city’s flag
However, the new findings even indicate it may have been transported to Venice from Khanbaliq – modern Beijing – by Marco Polo’s father, Niccolò.
‘We don’t know when the sculpture arrived in Venice, where it was reworked, who did it, or when it was erected on the column where it is still visible today,’ Dr Vidale said.
To work out where the ‘super–symbol’ came from, researchers performed lead isotope analysis on samples of the Lion, in a bid to determine where the copper ore used in its production originated.
Lead isotopes provide a ‘reliable means’ to link metals to their original ore deposits, the team explained.
In this case, the isotopes indicated that the copper ore used to cast the statue was mined in the Yangzi River basin in China.
Visual examination of the Lion suggests parts and posture were radically modified and that it used to have horns, meaning it more closely resembled a zhènmùshòu than a winged lion.
This indicates the sculpture was originally a Tang Dynasty tomb guardian, later modified once it reached Europe to better fit the image of a winged lion desired by the Venetians, the authors said.
Examples of medieval contact between China and Europe are rare, so these findings could indicate previously unknown trade connections.
Researchers say the Lion of Venice (left) bears striking resemblances to Chinese tomb guardian sculptures (right)
Visual examination of the head of the statue indicates it once had horns, the authors say, and that the ears have been shortened
The researchers say the Lion sculpture appears similar to tomb guardian sculptures (zhènmùshòu) from the Tang Dynasty (pictured)
Alternatively, it is possible that Niccolò and Maffeo Polo – Marco Polo’s father and uncle respectively – encountered the sculpture during their visit to the Mongol court in Khanbaliq (modern Beijing) in 1262 and sent it back along the Silk Road.
The earliest mention of a Lion statue atop Venice’s large columns was in 1293, in documents that stated the sculpture was already damaged and needed restoration.
The study, published in the journal Antiquity, reads: ‘Lead isotope analysis of the bronze supports a Chinese origin, identifying likely copper sources in the Lower Yangzi River region.
‘In a puzzling absence of written information, the intention and logistics behind its journey to Venice remain elusive and open to interpretation.
‘If the installation of the ‘Lion’ was meant to send a strong, defensive political message, we can now also read it as a symbol of the impressive connectedness of the medieval world.’
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