{"product_id":"tall-guardian-lion-cream-marble-statue-260cm","title":"Tall Guardian Lion Cream Marble Statue - 260cm","description":"\u003ch3\u003eDescription\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eA Chinese guardian lion sits with its mouth open and a paw on an embroidered ball, above the deepest plinth in the range: an upper block with a triangular apron above a tall base block carrying a large carved medallion panel on each face, with beaded borders and a moulded foot. Banded cream and grey veining runs through the stone.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMedallion Panels on a Deep Plinth\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe banding in this marble runs in horizontal seams, and on a plinth this tall that is either the making of the piece or the ruin of it. The blocks are therefore selected and oriented so the bands run level rather than sloping, because a seam that rises across a two-metre face reads as subsidence. The medallion panels are then cut to sit centred within the banding rather than centred on the stone. That decision is made before any carving starts.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt two and a half metres this is a landmark rather than an ornament, and it wants a position that can carry it: the entrance to a drive, a gatehouse forecourt, a hotel frontage or the end of a long avenue. It will overwhelm a domestic courtyard. Access matters as much as aspect, since the plinth arrives in pieces and needs crane reach. A prepared concrete foundation is essential.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eTwo and a Half Metres, and What That Needs\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eTwenty weeks, the longest of the lions. The plinth blocks are selected for their banding before anything is cut, dry-set to check the seams run level, then the medallion panels are laid out to that banding. The upper apron follows and the figure is seated last. Our main studios are in the UK (Birmingham) and Dubai, with additional global workshops. Close to 10,256kg across four pieces, all craned onto a prepared concrete foundation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLandmark figures are gathered in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/animal-sculptures\"\u003eanimal sculptures\u003c\/a\u003e, with the tallest 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\u003e260cm\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":53831408255323,"sku":"MST-ANI-009","price":35818.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0869\/3383\/2027\/files\/MST-ANI-009_1.jpg?v=1787141989","url":"https:\/\/giant-sculptures.com\/products\/tall-guardian-lion-cream-marble-statue-260cm","provider":"Giant Sculptures","version":"1.0","type":"link"}