Reclining Lion

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This small sculpture depicts a reclining male lion lying on his side and with his front paws crossed over each other. The artist who carved the lion clearly understood and probably observed the physiognomy of lions and marvelously transferred their relaxed position into stone while treating the body very naturalistically and with great sensitivity. Many details are shown, however the depiction of the lion's mane was only partially executed. The size of this art work together with this feature allows to determine that the art work belongs to an intriguing group of small sculptures and relief works that are often called sculptor’s models but that may have served as donations.

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met collection of ancient Egyptian art consists of approximately 30,000 objects of artistic, historical, and cultural importance, dating from about 300,000 BCE to the 4th century CE. A signifcant percentage of the collection is derived from the Museum's three decades of archaeological work in Egypt, initiated in 1906 in response to increasing interest in the culture of ancient Egypt.

Metropolitan Museum of Art