Marzocco (Florentine Lion) - Florence, Italy
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razalas
N 43° 46.167 E 011° 15.354
32T E 681565 N 4848739
In front of the Palazzo Vecchio, in the original location there is a copy of the Marzocco (Florentine Lion), the original by Donatello was moved to the Museo nazionale del Bargello.
Waymark Code: WMJ56W
Location: Toscana, Italy
Date Posted: 09/26/2013
Views: 14
"The Lion, or better known by the Italian name, Marzocco, is a sculpture of a lion most famous for the rendition created by Donatello in 1420. The lion is a symbol of Florence and the Medici family. Donatello’s Marzoocowas commissioned by the Republic of Florence for the apartment of Pope Martin V in Santa Maria Novella (Lindley, 2000).
The Marzooco by Donatello was moved to Piazza della Signoria in 1812, replacing the most famous sculpture in Florence until that time (which was there since 1377). The lion which was once in this spot had weathered away to an unrecognizable pile of stone (Cruttwell, 1911).
Donatello’s rendition was carved out of soft gray stone which is called pietra serena. Because of the frailness of this stone Donatello’s statue also had to be moved to a museum. Today a bronze copy stands in its place (Tuscan sculptures, 1902)."
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