{"product_id":"standing-lion-with-head-raised-stone-statue-120cm","title":"Standing Lion With Head Raised Stone Statue - 120cm","description":"\u003ch3\u003eDescription\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eA lion stands with its head lifted and turned upward, its mouth parted rather than fully open, and the near forepaw set high on a rock outcrop to one side. The mane is cut in deep combed waves that stand out around the throat, the flank and hind leg are modelled lean, and the tail hangs down and curls along the base. The base is a naturalistic outcrop of broken rock. Deep beige runs through the body of the stone while the mane and the outcrop stay cream, all of it banded in a single piece, with brown iron staining crossing the flank.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eA Raised Throat, and a Crack Left Where It Is\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eLifting the head opens the throat, and the throat is the thinnest section on a standing lion - a long unsupported span of stone between the jaw and the chest with the whole weight of the head at the top of it. So the neck is carved last and left heavier than it looks, and the mane is deliberately kept full behind it, where it doubles as structure. This stone also has iron in it, which stains in brown bands, and one of those bands carries a fine natural crack along the flank. It is not repaired. A crack that follows the bed of a stone is stable, and cutting it out or filling it would put a visible patch across the middle of the animal in exchange for nothing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe head is raised and turned up, which means the face is composed for someone standing under it, not level with it. Placed on a plinth it turns away from the viewer entirely. Set it on the ground and let people come to it, ideally from slightly downhill or from the foot of a slope - at the bottom of steps, on a bank above a path, at the low end of a garden. At 120cm the shoulder is about hip height and the muzzle sits above that, so the upward line still reads. The beige and cream banding and the brown iron marks all deepen with weathering outdoors.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eCarved to Be Seen From Below\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eTwelve to fourteen weeks. As with any porous stone the cuts are lighter and more numerous, and the bed of the material is followed rather than crossed. The outcrop is blocked out first with the high spur left thick for the raised paw to be fitted to. The body is roughed standing with the belly clear, and the hind leg and flank are brought down lean early while there is still mass at the front to hold the piece steady. The mane is worked along the banding so the change from cream to beige runs with the locks. The neck and lifted head are cut last, and the throat is checked against a template throughout rather than by eye, because there is no way to put stone back. Natural voids and the bed-following crack are left as found. Lion and outcrop are one piece, nothing pinned or filled. Our main studios are in the UK (Birmingham) and Dubai, with additional global workshops. Around 1,008kg in one piece, positioned with a gantry and bedded onto a prepared footing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMore standing animals sit in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/animal-sculptures\"\u003eanimal sculptures\u003c\/a\u003e, and weathering pieces under \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/outdoor-sculptures\"\u003eoutdoor 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\u003e120cm\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 Stone\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e","brand":"Giant Sculptures","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53832724775259,"sku":"MST-ANI-030","price":15300.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0869\/3383\/2027\/files\/MST-ANI-030_1.jpg?v=1787147754","url":"https:\/\/giant-sculptures.com\/products\/standing-lion-with-head-raised-stone-statue-120cm","provider":"Giant Sculptures","version":"1.0","type":"link"}