Detail of one of the Head-Shaped Supports of the Lion Relief in the Cloisters, Sept. 2007

Lion Relief
Sandstone and polychromy
Spain, Castile-Leon, Zamora, ca. 1200
From the church of San Leonardo at Zamora

Accession # 16.142

The lion is a symbol of Christ, who was called in the New Testament the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. He tramples a dragon, the personification of evil. In the background is the Coronation of the Virgin flanked by the archangel Gabriel and St. Leonard, patron saint of prisoners, shown here freeing two captives from their chains. The relief originally flanked the church portal.

Text from the Cloisters label.