Getty Museum

Lion's Head Waterspout

Date

about 450 B.C.

Medium

Limestone

Culture

Greek (South Italian)

Department

Architecture

Institution

Getty Museum

Waterspouts lining the eaves of Greek buildings were often shaped as openmouthed lions. This lion's head has a narrow face with a deep central crease from the mane to the upper jaw. The level of carving is high with details well modeled. The eyes are rounded, the teeth carved individually. The mane is composed of individual strands carved by chiseled channels. Lion's head waterspouts like this one were frequently carved in one piece with the sima, the gutter-like element that ran along the edge of the roof. Used to channel and control the rainwater runoff from the roof, these spouts funneled the water through the lions' open mouths. In this example, however, the spout was carved separately and inserted like a plug into a hole in the sima. It may have been attached as a repair or replacement. The size of the head indicates that it came from a small building. The style of the carving suggests that it came from a Greek colony in South Italy or Sicily.

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