Lost wax bronze replica from original mold.
Author: Donatello
Period: 1418-1420
The original masterpiece, in Florentine stone, is now kept in the Bargello National Museum.
The Marzocco was commissioned from Donatello by the Florentine Republic for the pope apartments of Martin V in Santa Maria Novella. When the Pope left Florence for the Council of Constance during the Western Schism, the statue was transported to Piazza della Repubblica in 1377, and placed near the railing from where traditional pleadings were made.
The name Marzocco almost certainly derives from the classical god Mars or Ares, god of war. The lion, on the other hand, is a symbol of royalty and nobility in many cultures. In this famous representation the lion rests his zamba on a shield with a lily, another typical symbol of Florence.
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