Nenfro Statue of a Winged Lion in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Sept. 2007

Nenfro statue of a winged lion
Etruscan, ca. 550 BC

Accession # 60.11.1

Several statues of this type, made from nenfro, a kind of volcanic stone used extensively at Vulci, depict winged lions and sphinxes. These were set up to protect the entrances to subterranean chamber tombs covered by a tumulus (earthen mound). They often appear in pairs and represent the Etruscan response to a long tradition of guardian figures stretching back to ancient Egypt and the Near East.

Text from the Metropolitan Museum of Art label.