Thorvaldsen, Bertel & Lukas Ahorn.  Lion of Lucerne.  1820-21.  Sculpture. &n

Thorvaldsen, Bertel & Lukas Ahorn.  Lion of Lucerne.  1820-21.  Sculpture.  10 x 6 meters.  Lucerne.  

There are quite a few lion sculptures all over Europe and across time in art history for that matter.  However, none of them are anywhere near as expressive as the Lion of Lucerne.  I had the pleasure of seeing it when I visited in 2004 but when I went back again recently in 2012 I did not get to see it again.  Even from the pictures, though, it conveys more emotion than any other lion I’ve seen in art, and many human subject sculpture as well.  It’s no wonder Mark Twain called it “the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world.”