{"product_id":"couchant-lion-on-a-tall-pedestal-marble-statue-180cm","title":"Couchant Lion on a Tall Pedestal Marble Statue - 180cm","description":"\u003ch3\u003eDescription\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eA lion lies couchant on a tall rectangular pedestal, its head turned outward and its forepaws set one over the other at the front edge of the cap. The mane is cut in long waves lifting back from the face, the ribs show through the flank, and the haunch and tail are laid along the cap. The pedestal has a projecting moulded cap and a stepped base, and carries most of the 180cm. The marble is white with grey veining, strong through the pedestal faces. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAn Animal and a Pedestal, Cut as Courses\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt 180cm this is not one block but a short stack, and the joints are part of the design rather than concealed by it. The stepped base, the shaft and the moulded cap are cut as separate courses and bedded one on another, each face dressed flat so the bed is even and the weight passes straight down through the middle of the course below. The cap projects beyond the shaft, which means it works partly as a cantilever, so it is cut from the deepest piece in the stack and its overhang is kept modest. The lion is worked from its own block and bedded on the cap last. Because the courses are separate, the veining is chosen course by course to run in the same direction through the whole pedestal.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA couchant lion on a pedestal is an entrance composition. At 180cm the animal sits above head height, which is where it is meant to be - it is carved to be looked up at, with the head turned out to face an arrival rather than to be studied close to. Gate piers, the ends of a balustrade, the head of a flight of steps, or either side of a drive entrance all suit it. It is designed to face another across an opening, and the two versions differ in the mouth: one closed, one open. White marble with grey veining reads clearly against brick and against dark hedging.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eA Gate-Pier Height, and Ordering Two\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eSixteen to eighteen weeks for a single lion and its pedestal. The courses are cut and dressed first, and the beds are worked flat and tested against each other before any carving starts, because a bed that rocks will not be fixed later by mortar. The mouldings on the cap and the stepped base are run next. The lion is then carved from a separate block, roughed couchant with the forepaws left thick where they overhang the front edge, and the mane separated afterwards, worked outward to inward. The head is turned late, once the body is finished and stable. Assembly is the final stage: the courses are bedded up in order and the lion set on the cap. Each piece is carved, finished and delivered as one lion with its own pedestal. Our main studios are in the UK (Birmingham) and Dubai, with additional global workshops. Around 3,403kg for one lion and its pedestal, craned course by course onto a concrete foundation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMore entrance beasts are in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/animal-sculptures\"\u003eanimal sculptures\u003c\/a\u003e, and tall pieces under \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/large-garden-statues\"\u003elarge garden statues\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eSpecification\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ctable class=\"spec_table\"\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHeight\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e180cm\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBase\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eIncluded\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMaterial\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHand-Carved Natural Marble\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e","brand":"Giant Sculptures","offers":[{"title":"Version 1","offer_id":53872383066459,"sku":"MST-ANI-031-V1","price":26985.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Version 2","offer_id":53872383099227,"sku":"MST-ANI-031-V2","price":26985.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0869\/3383\/2027\/files\/MST-ANI-031_1.jpg?v=1787590581","url":"https:\/\/giant-sculptures.com\/products\/couchant-lion-on-a-tall-pedestal-marble-statue-180cm","provider":"Giant Sculptures","version":"1.0","type":"link"}