{"product_id":"sleeping-lion-with-head-on-its-paws-marble-statue-100cm","title":"Sleeping Lion With Head on Its Paws Marble Statue - 100cm","description":"\u003ch3\u003eDescription\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eA lion lies asleep with its head lowered onto its crossed forepaws and its eyes closed, the muzzle pressed down into the near paw. The mane is cut deep and tousled, in heavy separated locks that fall forward over the brow, and the body tapers back to a haunch with the tail laid flat along the flank. It lies on a wedge-shaped plinth cut down at the head end. The marble is white with an aged matte surface and soft grey shading in the recesses.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eLeft Unpolished on Purpose\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis piece is not polished, and that is a decision rather than an unfinished stage. A polished surface reflects, and reflections read as wet and as new; they also flatten shadow, which is the only thing that makes a closed eye legible. So the surface is stopped at a fine abrasive and left matte, so that light sinks into it instead of bouncing off. The deep locks of the mane are then undercut harder than they would be on a glossy lion, because a matte stone gives back less contrast and needs real shadow rather than reflected highlight to separate one lock from the next. The soft grey settled in the recesses is the stone's own, and it is left where it falls.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA sleeping animal does not command a space and should not be asked to. It has no raised head to face an approach and no open jaw to carry down a drive, so it is wasted at a gate. It belongs where someone comes across it: at the foot of a tree, beside a bench, at the end of a border, on a step off a terrace, or in a courtyard corner. At 100cm along the plinth it sits well below knee height and is looked down on, which is the angle it is carved for - the wedge plinth drops at the head end so the face stays visible from above. Matte white marble suits shade and does not need sun.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eA Quiet Piece for a Quiet Corner\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eNine to eleven weeks. The wedge plinth is cut first, with the fall to the head end set before the animal is roughed, because that angle determines how much stone is available under the muzzle and cannot be changed afterwards. The mass is then roughed lying down, and the crossed forepaws are left as a solid block until the mane above them is finished, since they are the shelf the whole head rests on. The mane locks are separated next, worked from the outside in, and undercut deeply. The closed eyes and the muzzle are cut last and take a disproportionate share of the time, because a shut eye is made entirely of a lid line and the shadow above it, with nothing else to help. The surface is then brought to matte by hand. Nothing is pinned or filled - lion and plinth are one block. Our main studios are in the UK (Birmingham) and Dubai, with additional global workshops. Around 584kg in one piece, light enough for a gantry to bed onto a prepared footing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOther resting animals are in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/animal-sculptures\"\u003eanimal sculptures\u003c\/a\u003e, and quieter pieces 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\u003e100cm\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":53832724611419,"sku":"MST-ANI-027","price":17526.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0869\/3383\/2027\/files\/MST-ANI-027_1.jpg?v=1787147750","url":"https:\/\/giant-sculptures.com\/products\/sleeping-lion-with-head-on-its-paws-marble-statue-100cm","provider":"Giant Sculptures","version":"1.0","type":"link"}