Lion number ten is King in the Alhambra Palace in Granada

Lion number ten is King in the Alhambra Palace in Granada
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By h.b. - Nov 14, 2009 - 12:41 PM
Restoration of the famous marble lions from the Patio del los Leones in the Alhambra in Granada has revealed a whole host of new secrets.

The lions being removed for restoration - EFE

The lions were removed from their location round the famous fountain in February 2007, as they were disintegrating and suffering from the damp, and in winter the ice, which collected in cracks.

The experts have now established that no two lions are alike, and think that perhaps one, the largest, lion number ten of the twelve, was used as a model for the others, and that several different artists were involved in their carving.

Lion number ten has a more detailed mane, and the experts have also noted that each lion has a different tail, and weighs a different amount. It all points to them being carved by different people.

The differences in the animals’ ears dates from an earlier restoration carried out in the XVII century by Alonso de Mena, who decided to swap ears as a way of stopping the deterioration being seen. Now the researchers have found the remains of older original ears on three of the lions.

The Director of the Patronato de la Alhambra, María del Mar Villafranca, noted that archaeologists and historians now date the beasts between 1362 and 1391 during the rule of Muhammad V.

It’s thought that they were carved in a local workshop from marble from Macael in Almería.

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