16th Century French Renaissance Lion Column Sundial

A captivating 16th Century French Renaissance column in limestone, repurposed in the Art & Crafts period to create this unique and beautiful sundial.

With four sides of its shaft punctuated by heavy decoration composed of lions' heads spitting garlands of fruit. The decoration reflects the practices of the ornamentalists of the French Renaissance from the second quarter of the 16th century. Notably the use of classical antiquity, the lions symbolising strength and courage, and the festooned fruit garlands which were a symbol of abundance in Roman Antiquity. The ornamentation that was seen profusely in Italy in the 15th and 16th Century Renaissance was imported for use by the French sculptors of the 16th Century Fontainebleau site at a later date when this pillar was created.

The capstone holding the copper sundial face is most likely gritstone. This base plinth is the same limestone as the central column.

This piece has the most wonderful verdigris and patination created, not only by centuries of exposure to the elements, but also from the Sun and rain upon the copper dial creating rivulets of colour over the limestone face.

From an exceptional Arts & Crafts country house in Yorkshire, where the sundial was originally composed.