The Sleeping Lion or Dying Lion of Lucerne is one of the world's most famous monuments. It was carved out of natural rock and was built in 1820 in memory of the Swiss Guards that were killed during the French Revolution in 1792 in the service of the King of France, Louis XVI.I could not believe my eyes when we came upon this amazing site. It was so wonderfully crafted and truly realistic. Mark Twain, the well-known American author described the Lion of Lucerne as "the saddest and most moving piece of rock in the world." He was absolutely right. I haven't seen too many pieces of sculpture that looked mournful or moving but I personally have to agree with this description. You can see and feel the sadness on the lion's face distinctively.
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First Commenter - Ayie
First Commenter - Ayie
Good Morning Life Ramblings!!!
ReplyDeleteThat's a very good sculpture, everything you said fits exactly how I see it too. Those people back then were so good in a lot of things, I can't imagine how they carved a solid rock to its form.
ReplyDeleteThat's a wonderful picture!
Umm..the lion looked like it was dying. I guess in a way mournful fits the description as well.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the photo of the beautiful sculpture.
Morning LR! :)
ReplyDeleteWow, it is very lifelike, LR! Indeed a magnificent piece! :):):)
ReplyDeleteHi Ayie,
ReplyDeletethe expression of the lion is an art of genius. it's unbelievable that such emotion can be crafted onto emotionless stone.
Mei Teng,
ReplyDeleteprecisely, a closure look at the lion sculpture gave an impression that the lion was in pain just before he was dying.
Mariuca,
ReplyDeleteyeah, it was really a wonderful piece of art generating feelings of sadness.
the lion was killed for the king? what does it mean? why did it have to die?
ReplyDeleteYou're early for PhotoHunt! :)
ReplyDeleteCarved from a rock!? Wow. That's a lovely piece of artwork. It looks realistic.
ReplyDeleteWow! This is incredible! The lion really looks sad!
ReplyDeletelevian,
ReplyDeletethe lion wasn't killed for the King. The carving was created to commemorate hundreds of Swiss guards killed by the mobs who stormed the Palace in Paris during the French Revolution.
ECL,
ReplyDeletei'll be pretty occupied with things and stuff 2mr. that's y i'm posting PH early.
the masterpiece is simply amazing. I am really glad I got to see it.
foong,
ReplyDeleteit's very captivating and moving. Visit the site if you have the chance. :)
What a masterpiece. I can see the words HELVETIORUM FIDEI AC VIRTUTI. Seems like Latin to me. :)
ReplyDeletenice shot LR.. I could see and feel the sadness on the lion's face!
ReplyDeletewah nice photo!
ReplyDeleteJL,
ReplyDeleteit literally means "To the loyalty and bravery of the Swiss".
Monica,
ReplyDeleteyeah, it seems surreal.
TH,
ReplyDeletethanks for visiting.:)
Looking at the lion sculpture, and how sad and mournful it look, it makes me think of the plight of the dogs that were sent away to an uninhabited island at Pulau Ketam. I cried when reading about the dogs starving and eating their own kind's carcass just to survive. :(
ReplyDeletelina,
ReplyDeleteit's heart-wrenching news for all of us. if I were the dog, I'd rather be killed than to be suffered, which in turn could be, either died of hunger, or turning to their own kind of carcasses for survival.
Wow, that's a great picture! truly beautifully crafted.
ReplyDeleteIt is such a beatiful work of sculpture!
ReplyDeleteLR, I'm usaually off bloggin on weekends so I'll greet you happy mother's day already!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your special day!
That is indeed a moving piece, and I am just looking at a photograph. I am sure the emotion would be ten times over when gazing at the real thing.
ReplyDeleteWonderful post for this week's theme.
That was one of the saddest sculpture I had seen too. Beautifully crafted and should be well maintained as part of the history.
ReplyDeletehttp://crizcats.blogspot.com/
That is a superb memorial. So beautiful. Happy weekend
ReplyDeleteHow awesome it must have been to see this in person, but you took a wonderful shot, and when I enlarged it, I felt I could truly appreciate every detail. Well done!
ReplyDeleteMine’s In Memory of a great time to be repeated!
An amazing sight. Thanks for sharing! :)
ReplyDeleteReally realistic carvings.. beautiful :)
ReplyDeleteWow! It's amazing. Just carved out of the stone. The image of the lion - such grief. Stunning. sobering.
ReplyDeleteGreat choice for The Hunt!
They are built in memory of the dead guards? Hmmm...but why Lion? It's true...from your photo the sought of the lion truly caught my imagination. A sad sight! A sysmbol that the guards are ready to die for their king!
ReplyDeleteThen again...these lions remind me of the ING lion! Haha :D
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing - never knew about this sculpture, it looks fantastic indeed.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend!
Hi, very nice pic. Never knew or heard about this too.
ReplyDeleteHave a nice weekend, Lee.
That is a beautiful memorial and I also agree with the descriptions. Great choice for the theme. Happy weekend.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful tribute!
ReplyDeleteOh I love this sculpture!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting. What a fantastic piece of art!!!
ReplyDeleteWonderfully crafted is right!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! This sculpture took my breath away! Look at the forlorn look in that lions face! This is truly a gorgeous carving! My hunt is up, please come and visit soon
ReplyDeleteWhat a poignant monument! Great photo.
ReplyDeleteMine's up here:
JyLnC's In Memory
thanks for this picture. What a beautiful sculpture, and I never knew it existed before today.
ReplyDeletehttp://healingmagichands.wordpress.com/2009/05/09/photohunt-in-memory/
That's a great post for this week! :)
ReplyDelete