64 The Lion.

distinctive rendering of the muscles, give these idealised representations

a peculiar charm and a certain grandeur.
The Lion was used in the Egyptian religion. The fact that the
annual overflow of the Nile, so fertilising and of such immense im-
portance for the land, occurred at the time when the sun entered the
sign of the Lion, brought the animal into relation with water; and led
to representations on pails and other vessels for water, &c. Egyptian
art usually idealises the Lion till he is unrecognisable; it represents
him at rest; and the simple, severe treatment of the mane (not unlike
a stiff ruff) gives him somewhat of the appearance of the Lioness,
which does not posses one.
Among the Greeks and Romans the Lion was considered as the
guai'dian of springs, of gates, and temples; hence his appearance at
fountains, on flights of steps, over gates, and on monuments. The
sleeping Lion is the symbol of the fallen hero. (The lion of the
Piraeus, the tomb of Leonidas, and the tombs of Halicarnassus , may
be quoted as evidence.)
In Christian art: the symbolism of the Lion is various: as the
emblem of the Redeemer (the Lion of the Tribe of Judah), as the
emblem of the evil principle and of the enemies of the church as
^veU. as of the Devil himself (the enemy who goeth about as a roaring
lion, seeking whom he may devour), as the attribute of the evange-
list St. Mark, and of other saints. Hence his frequent appearance on
the vessels, and other articles of religious use, &c.
In consequence of the crusades in the 12th century, he was in-
troduced into Heraldry, in which he became the most popular animal
figure. As a heraldic creature he was severely idealised, (see
Division III, under Heraldry).
In the Renascence period, the Lion is represented in all of the
foregoing uses.
In the Rococo period, there was little skill, and little understan-
ding, for the figure of the Lion.
Modern art follows the example of the Antique and the Renas-
cence; and thus it comes that in the present day the Lion enjoys the
lion's share in decoration.
It is remarkable that in all ages, when representing the Lion, Ar-
tists have given to his countenance something of a human type, by using
the oval eye of man, instead of the round Cat-like eye, (Compare,
Plate
47,
fig. 1).*
Plates
41
43 show the Lion in naturalistic treatment, and also
the conventional treatments of the various epochs; Plate 44 is devo-
ted to heraldic treatments.
*
An exhaustive article, entitled "Der Lowe in der Kunst," by Const.
Uhde, will be found in the "Gewerbehalle," 1872.
pp.
81 et scqq.