The Lion of Bavaria, Nauplio
This important sculpted monument from more modern history is located in the Pronoia district, close to the graveyard of Agion Panton. According to the inscription that accompanies it, it was carved between 1840-1841 following a donation by the Bavarian king, Ludwig I, in memory of the Bavarian soldiers who died of Typhus between 1833 and 1834, and were buried in the area. The dying lion was created by the Bavarian sculptor, Christian Heinrich Siegel, and is a copy of the Lion of Lucerne by Bertel Thorvaldsen, who, in turn, had been inspired by ancient Greek prototypes. The lion, which was carved into the natural rock, is rendered on a monumental scale, sleeping in a rectangular niche, with a circular shield behind his muzzle. It is one of the most important 19th century sculptures in Greece.
