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Pedestals Decorated with Lions’ Paws
The 11 marble pedestals decorated with lions’ paws are the most intriguing, and at
the same time the most difficult objects to contextualize from the Punta Scifo A
shipwreck. Although furniture with animal legs was widespread not only in the Roman
world but throughout antiquity in general, it has been nearly impossible to find exact
parallels for the footed stands from Punta Scifo. It seems these are currently the only
known examples of marble pedestals decorated with lions’ paws at their extremities. 163
They can be divided into three separate sets, based on difference in shape, diameter,
height, and probably, final function. In the Catalog they are referred to as High, Medium,
and Low Pedestals with Lions’ paws, shortened as HPL, MPL, LPL, and followed by the
catalog number.
While all are made of pavonazzetto marble, and all are decorated with lions’ paws
at their corners, the stages of completion are different. Most examples have a thick
protective ring where the lions’ paws meet the base, probably there to protect the corners
during transport (HPL 1, HPL 2, MPL 1, MPL 2, LPL 1, LPL 2). On HPL 3, however,
the protective ring has been completely removed, the corners squared and polished, and
the lions’ toes finished. It is possible to see the nails on all four paws.
The surfaces of all the upper discs are rough. The lack of polishing, and the
presence of inscriptions, suggest that their surfaces were not meant to be visible as they
were, but were to be polished when finished in a workshop. Three of these discs bear
Greek letters or short inscriptions: “EL” (HPL 1), “SATOR” (LPL 1), “H” (LPL 2). It is
163 Even Patrizio Pensabene (Università La Sapienza, Rome) and Fabrizio Slavazzi (Università Statale,
Milan), two scholars actively involved in the study of marble in the Roman world, were not aware of any
close parallels, when I contacted them personally in 2007.
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