LION HOLDING COAT OF ARMS
sculpted walnut wood, traces of colouring
The crouching lion, jaws open and teeth bared, holds a scrolled shield in its paws with long claws. The shield features a cardinal’s hat above the capital letters P and B, a heraldic motif of which a previous draft is visible. Elegant acanthus leaves encircle the feline’s back as a mantle; they may perhaps originally have carried an architectural element as for instance a small column.
Veneto, late 16th century
cm 63×80
