This is a very famous and stone sculpture called the Guennol Lioness. It’s also one of the world’s most expensive figures, Having sold for $57.2 million and it standing a whopping 3 ¼ inches tall. Made of crystalline limestone, it is a tribute to the unknown master’s hand that created this diminutive tour de force.
It was carved about 5,000 years ago in the Proto-Elamite, Chalcolithic era, giving lie to the belief that earlier cultures were not as advanced aesthetically or artistically as modern people. It was found in the middle 1930s in southwest Persia (now Iran) and sold to a private collector and displayed in the Guennol Collection, which was exhibited in various museums. The lionesses’ powerful lines come through despite the small size, giving us a feeling that this anthropometric creature was imbued with great power.
The statue came to my attention several years back when it was put up for auction and new photos were made and released to the public. Previously, there were only grainy pictures in archeological texts, now we can enjoy the figure’s magnificent lines in crisp, new photos and wonder in the power of an ancient stone carver’s art.
Sorry, but this can not be currently viewed at South Coast Antiques & Gallery in Ocean Springs,MS
This little treasure was auctioned at Sotheby's in 2007 to an undisclosed buyer.
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