A PAIR OF FRENCH ORMOLU-MOUNTED PATINATED BRONZE CHENETS

The original model for this lion, of monumental proportions, was carved by Flaminio Vacca in the 16th Century, as a pendant for the Antique (which is modelled with its proper right paw on the ball), and the pair once stood in the garden of the Villa Medici. They are now on the steps of the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence.