Mosan Lion In Golden Brass, XIVth Century

In the Middle Ages, Meuse artists particularly distinguished themselves in the metal arts and in particular in that of "dinanderie", specializing in the work of copper and brass. The latter became from the High Middle Ages the specificity of the town of Dinant, camped on the right bank of the Meuse, which then made a large number of decorative brass objects, exported throughout Europe. It is perhaps there that this very beautiful lion in gilded brass was made, extracted from a solid cast iron. Coming from an alloy of copper and zinc, this material flows easily into moulds. It can then be rolled, drawn, hammered, embossed, or even chased and engraved, as was the case with our work. Brass has the main advantage of having the color of gold and not oxidizing. These qualities owe him his nickname of "copper of goldsmiths". It is true that by their preciousness, certain objects made in this material can fall within the field of goldsmithery. This is particularly the case with certain aquamaniles or famous altar candlesticks. The lion appears as the key subject of these productions. The silhouette that the animal then takes on is the same as that observed on our cast. This one is characterized by a square mouth, small round ears and eyes with drooping external angles of the eyelid. The fixing holes at the level of the animal's front legs indicate that it must previously have been fixed on a platform and thus fit into a more complex overall composition. The cavity pierced on its back, contemporary with its realization or later, suggests that it was perhaps used at one time as a candlestick. Condition: Old restoration around the cavity pierced on the back of the animal.