A Pair of Heraldic Lions, 17th century, carved limestone, Central European, Habsburg Territories. Brought to The Walk by Vagabond Antiques
Work - Their form and detailing place them firmly within high status Baroque culture in Central Europe. The crowns, patterned with alternating fleur-de-lis and crosses, closely echo imperial designs associated with Habsburg heraldry in the realms of Austria and Bohemia, and the unusual decision to rest the crown on the lion itself, rather than above the shield, signals a claim to royal standing. They recall the monumental lions at Prince Eugene of Savoy’s Upper Belvedere in Vienna and related ensembles across Bavaria and Austria. Within the Sculpture Walk these lions arrive as emissaries from that world of gates, coats of arms and carefully policed borders. They carry the memory of power and the long tradition of using animals and stone to inscribe status in public space. Set among contemporary works, they invite us to look again at how we mark thresholds today, and how symbols of authority can be re-read and reclaimed.