{"product_id":"couchant-lion-with-a-curled-tail-pink-marble-statue-175cm","title":"Couchant Lion With a Curled Tail Pink Marble Statue - 175cm","description":"\u003ch3\u003eDescription\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eA lion lies couchant with its head turned to one side and its jaws parted rather than wide open, the near foreleg stretched forward and the far one tucked under the chest. The mane is cut in long flowing waves that sweep back off the brow and hang in a deep fringe at the throat. The tail curls forward along the flank instead of lifting away from it. The marble is a salmon pink, with grey and grey-green veins running through the haunch, the shoulder and the slab it rests on.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eA Tail Carved Against the Body\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eA lion's tail is usually taken out into the air, which makes it the most fragile thing on the piece. This one is brought forward and laid along the flank instead, so it stays in contact with the body for its whole length. That is a different job and not an easier one. Because the tail touches the flank, the two have to be separated by a cut that reads as a gap from every angle without ever going right through - a chisel driven too far turns the join into a hole, and a chisel held back leaves the tail looking stuck on. The carver works it as a groove of changing depth, deepest where the light will fall across it, and the grey-green veining is steered along the groove so the shadow and the vein reinforce each other.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe slab under this lion is thin and its edge is bevelled rather than moulded, so it finishes cleanly against whatever it stands on and does not need a plinth built for it. That suits a step, a terrace, the top of a low wall or a paved threshold. At 175cm along the body it is a long piece and wants to be approached from the side, where the stretched foreleg and the curled tail both read; from the front it foreshortens to almost nothing. Pink marble warms in low sun, so a position that gets morning or evening light does more for it than a sheltered one.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eA Bevelled Slab That Sits Flush\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eFourteen to sixteen weeks. The slab is squared and its bevel dressed before anything else, and the couchant mass is then blocked out on top of it, so the body has continuous support beneath it from the first cut to the last. The far foreleg is cut in under the chest early, while there is still stone above it to work against. The mane is separated next, outer locks first and inward, and the throat fringe is undercut last of the mane work because it hangs clear. The tail groove is cut after the flank is finished, deepened in passes and checked from three angles between each one. The head and the parted jaws come at the end. Nothing is pinned or filled - animal, tail and slab all come out of one block. Our main studios are in the UK (Birmingham) and Dubai, with additional global workshops. Around 3,127kg in one piece, which wants a crane and a concrete footing prepared in advance.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOther couchant animals are gathered in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/animal-sculptures\"\u003eanimal sculptures\u003c\/a\u003e, with the veined stone in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/marble-sculptures\"\u003emarble sculptures\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\u003e175cm\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":"Default Title","offer_id":53833346154843,"sku":"MST-ANI-032","price":24899.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0869\/3383\/2027\/files\/MST-ANI-032_1.jpg?v=1787150636","url":"https:\/\/giant-sculptures.com\/products\/couchant-lion-with-a-curled-tail-pink-marble-statue-175cm","provider":"Giant Sculptures","version":"1.0","type":"link"}