Lion and Snake

This sculpture depicts a very dramatic fight between a lion and a snake. They are rendered very realistically, with most attention on the ferocious expression and violence between the animals. Antoine-Louis Barye (1795-1875), the sculptor of this piece, spent hours studying, drawing, and even dissecting animals in the Jardin des Plantes. That way he could convey the anatomy perfectly, which allows the impact of the tension to be even bigger.  Lions are often used as a strong representation of the monarchy, this one specifically is a tribute to the July Monarchy and King Louis-Philippe, at a time when there was widespread discontent with the regime established after the July Revolution (1830). The king’s accession to the throne had taken place under the constellations of Leo and Hydra, the subjects of this sculpture, symbolising the celestial approval of this political change.