Teatro Massimo Lions
Palermo
Sicily, Italy
N 38° 07.228 E 013° 21.472
Quick Description:
A pair of very large bronze lions flank the stairway leading up to the entrance to the Teatro Massimo at Piazza Verdi in Palermo, Sicily.
Long Description:
The Teatro Massimo is the third largest opera house in Europe, after the opera hoses in Paris and Vienna. Flanking the broad stairway leading up to the entrance of the Teatro Massimo are a pair of large bronze lion statues.
As you face the entrance the lion on the left is mounted by a female figure facing the stairs. She is wearing a long robe, has a wreath in her hair, and is blowing through a pair of long horns. The allegorical sculpture symbolizes lyric opera and was created by Mario Rutelli, the son of the Giovanni Rutelli the architect for the Teatro Massimo.
The large bronze lion on the right side of the stairway is by the sculptor Benedetto Civiletti and represents tragedy. What appears to be a male figure is riding sideways facing the stairway. He is holding a drama theater mask in both hands. The allegorical sculpture represents tragedy.
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