{"product_id":"roaring-lion-with-a-standing-mane-marble-statue-170cm","title":"Roaring Lion With a Standing Mane Marble Statue - 170cm","description":"\u003ch3\u003eDescription\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eSquarely on its haunches a lion roars outward, forelegs run straight and well ahead of the body. Its jaws are wide in a roar with the teeth cut. The mane is combed into long flame-like locks that lift away from the neck rather than lying against it, falling past the chest. The haunch is drawn under with the tail laid against it, and the animal sits on a thin rectangular slab. The stone is an ivory-warm white marble with grey shading in the deeper cuts of the mane. One animal is what is sold here; two make the matched arrangement.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eA Mane With Nothing to Lean On\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eLocks that stand away from the neck are undercut, and undercut stone has to be braced while it is being cut. On a lion mounted on a tall pedestal there is a solid block below to take the strain of the mallet. This one sits on a slab barely thicker than a paving stone, so there is nothing underneath to absorb the blow, and every strike on a raised lock travels down through the animal and out into the bench. The carver therefore works the standing locks with a lighter mallet and more strokes, sets the piece on a sand bed rather than on timber so the shock is damped, and separates the outermost locks last of all, when the piece no longer has to be turned.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBoth forelegs run well forward of the body on this lion, so its footprint is longer than it first looks and the front of the piece needs to stay clear - set against a step riser or into a border, the paws are the first thing to get knocked and the last thing anyone notices. Leave a hand's width in front of it. At 170cm seated the head is above eye level and turned outward, which makes it a doorway or gateway piece rather than something to look down on. Ivory-warm white sits well against brick and stone and does not need a dark backdrop the way a bright white does.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eForelegs That Ask for a Clear Front\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eSixteen to eighteen weeks. Levelling the slab is the opening move, after which the seated body is roughed upon it with the forelegs still one undivided mass. Body, haunch and tail are finished while that mass is still intact, because it is what the animal rests on when turned. The mane follows. The inner locks go first and the standing outer ones are left until the very end. Both are worked on a sand bed with a light mallet. The forelegs are then divided, brought forward and finished, and the paws separated toe by toe. Head, jaw and teeth are cut last of all, through the mouth opening. There is no pinning, no filling and no joint anywhere in the animal or its slab. Our main studios are in the UK (Birmingham) and Dubai, with additional global workshops. Some 2,867kg as one undivided block, which arrives by crane onto a footing prepared in poured concrete.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCompanion roaring beasts wait in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/animal-sculptures\"\u003eanimal sculptures\u003c\/a\u003e, while doorway work gathers under \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/garden-statues\"\u003egarden 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\u003e170cm\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":53834315628891,"sku":"MST-ANI-058","price":29628.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0869\/3383\/2027\/files\/MST-ANI-058_1.jpg?v=1787590603","url":"https:\/\/giant-sculptures.com\/products\/roaring-lion-with-a-standing-mane-marble-statue-170cm","provider":"Giant Sculptures","version":"1.0","type":"link"}