Sacred and profane treasures in the St. Mark area

Deconstruction of the Lion

1st phase4th - 3rd century BC
2nd phase4th - 6th century BC
3rd phase11th century AD
4th phase1293
5th phase1816

There are several theories about the origins of the Lion of St. Mark statue.
As of today, the parts of the statue attributable to this phase are the head, part of the chest, the mane, the left front and rear parts except the limbs, and the abdomen; some traces of gold plating confirm that the bronze statue was once gilded.

First possibility
Second possibility
Third possibility

The third possibility would identify it as a part of a monument dedicated to Sandon, patron deity of the city of Tarsus in Cilicia.
We know that up to the 3rd century AD, there was an impressive monument at Tarsus in which Sandon was represented in an upright position on a winged lion. One might therefore assume that the Lion of St. Mark was originally a lion-headed griffin produced during the Early Eastern Hellenistic period between the late 4th and early 3rd century BC.