At A Glance
Please note that zoo admission (fee) is required to view this sculpture
The Lioness was exhibited in the French Salon of 1886 before its acquisition by the Fairmount Park Art Association (now the Association for Public Art)
Before its installation at the Philadelphia Zoo, the sculpture was relocated twice
…a contemporary newspaper said, its “realistic pose . . . terrified many horses, that in other respects were fearless”
Auguste Cain was born in Paris, and his work followed in the tradition of artist Antoine-Louis Barye (see Lion Crushing a Serpent). The Lioness was exhibited in the French Salon of 1886 before its acquisition by the Fairmount Park Art Association (now the Association for Public Art).
Before its installation at the Philadelphia Zoo, the Lioness had been moved twice. It was relocated to the foot of Lemon Hill from its original site on the river drive because, a contemporary newspaper said, its “realistic pose . . . terrified many horses, that in other respects were fearless.”
Adapted from Public Art in Philadelphia by Penny Balkin Bach (Temple University Press, Philadelphia, 1992).
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