Guennol Lioness

Lore & Background

The Guennol Lioness was acquired by private collector Alastair Bradley Martin in 1948 from the collection of Joseph Brummer. It was on display at the Brooklyn Museum of Art in New York City from 1948 until its sale in 2007. The name 'Guennol' derives from the Welsh name for 'Martin', the collector's surname. In 1950, scholar Edith Porada described it as a lioness 'because of the feminine curves of her lower body and the absence of male organs,' while conceding the possibility 'that the figure represented a sexless creature.'

Reader's Guide

The Guennol Lioness is significant as one of the last known masterworks from the dawn of civilization remaining in private hands before its 2007 auction. Its sale price of $57.2 million set a record for the most expensive sculpture sold at auction at that time, easily exceeding the previous record held by Pablo Picasso's Tete de femme (Dora Maar). The sculpture also surpassed the $28.6 million paid for Artemis and the Stag, a 2,000-year-old bronze figure that had been the most expensive antiquity sold at auction earlier in 2007. The figure is thought to have been created at approximately the same time as the first known use of the wheel, the development of cuneiform writing, and the emergence of the first cities. Its hybrid form—merging animal and human features—reflects Mesopotamian beliefs in attaining power over the physical world by combining superior physical attributes of different species. Similar anthropomorphic figures appear on the Great Lyre from the 'King's Grave' at Ur. The lioness was a frequent subject of veneration among cultures familiar with the species' hunting techniques, particularly the well-coordinated hunting by female members.

Did You Know?

• The Guennol Lioness sold for $57.2 million at Sotheby's on December 5, 2007, then the highest price for a sculpture at auction.
• It measures just over 8 cm (3.25 in) tall.
• Edith Porada described it as a lioness in 1950 due to feminine curves and absence of male organs, but allowed it might be sexless.
• The sculpture was on loan to the Brooklyn Museum of Art from 1948 until its 2007 sale.