{"product_id":"heraldic-lion-with-a-crowned-cartouche-marble-statue-190cm","title":"Heraldic Lion With a Crowned Cartouche Marble Statue - 190cm","description":"\u003ch3\u003eDescription\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eA lion sits erect on its haunches with its jaws open, holding an oval cartouche upright in front of it with both forepaws. The cartouche is framed in scrollwork and carries a bead wreath around an ornamented oval, with a crown set above it. The mane falls in long combed waves to the chest. The animal, the cartouche and the cap beneath them are a white marble with faint grey veining; the moulded pedestal below is a warm beige marble. Sold individually; two make the facing arrangement.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eHolding a Slab of Stone Upright\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe cartouche is not applied to the front of this lion - it is carved from the same block, which means a broad thin slab of marble has to be left standing proud of the body while everything around it is cut away. It is held only where the paws grip it and where the scroll at its foot meets the chest, so those two contacts are doing real structural work and are cut heavier than they look. The crown above the cartouche is the most exposed element on the piece and is the last thing released. The oval face is worked in relief afterwards, shallowly, because every millimetre taken out of it is taken out of the slab's strength.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is a heraldic piece and it wants a threshold rather than a garden. Gate piers, the head of a flight of steps, or either side of an entrance all suit it, with the cartouche facing the approach so it can be read. It arrives as a white marble figure on a beige marble pedestal with a white cap between them, and that cap is doing a job: it gives the two stones a clean line to meet on instead of butting a white figure straight onto a coloured base. At 190cm overall the cartouche sits at about eye height. White marble reads best against brick or dark planting.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eTwo Marbles, and a Cap Between Them\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eEighteen to twenty weeks. The pedestal is cut from its own beige block and its mouldings run first, then the white cap is dressed to sit on it, both beds worked flat and tested against each other before any carving begins. The figure is carved from a separate white block: the mass is roughed seated, with the cartouche left as a solid rectangular tablet in front of the chest through most of the work. The mane is separated next. The tablet is then thinned to an oval, its scroll frame cut, and the paws worked onto its edges so the grip is carved rather than fitted. The crown is released last. Assembly is the final stage, pedestal then cap then figure. Nothing in the figure is pinned or joined. Our main studios are in the UK (Birmingham) and Dubai, with additional global workshops. Around 4,002kg across three parts, each craned in turn onto a poured concrete foundation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMore heraldic beasts are in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/animal-sculptures\"\u003eanimal sculptures\u003c\/a\u003e, and tall entrance 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\u003e190cm\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":53833346679131,"sku":"MST-ANI-034","price":34219.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0869\/3383\/2027\/files\/MST-ANI-034_1.jpg?v=1787590583","url":"https:\/\/giant-sculptures.com\/products\/heraldic-lion-with-a-crowned-cartouche-marble-statue-190cm","provider":"Giant Sculptures","version":"1.0","type":"link"}