A sculptured lion, in a nearly perfect state of preservation, lies in the courtyard of the ruined convent at Šaqqā. The head and body are intact; the legs have been broken off and have disappeared. Between the stumps of the two front legs is the head of a gazelle, which the lion was in the act of devouring. It will be seen from the photograph that the body of the lion is treated in heavy rounded contours that show no suggestion of anatomical knowledge on the part of the sculptor; the body is encircled by a broad belt just behind the shoulders. The mane is indicated by heavy curving locks, but the stumps of the front legs show an attempt to treat the muscular system in a more naturalistic manner. The head of the lion and that of the gazelle are entirely without force or expression; the one suggests ferocity no more than the other suggests fear or suffering. The lion's mouth is open, showing the tongue, but the mouth in no way resembles the mouth of a lion and gives no indication of the formation of the jaws. The eyes are equally unleonine and, with the rest of the head, are again strikingly suggestive of the lion figures in the medieval churches of Italy.
Thomas M. Weber. Sculptures from Roman Syria in the Syrian National Museum of Damascus. Vol I, from Cities and Villages in Central and Southern Syria. Wernersche Verlagsgesellschaft. Worms. 2006.
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