We were sent the top photo recently with no reference to it's location. Previously, we published the photo circa 1923, of Henry Flagler's good friend Dr. Andrew Anderson whose benevolence gave the city of St. Augustine it's few public art sculptures such as The Ponce De Leon bronze, The American Legion flagpole base and the birdbath in the Plaza. He commissioned the lions for our bridge completed in 1927 The old photo shows a maquette of one of the giant lions that graced the western entry to the bridge. It sat on the balustrade of the front entry to his home ,Markland still there on King Street. It's interesting to note how much Dr. Anderson's pet dog has a lion like look.
So what happened to the porch lion? Is that it in the photo on top? It appears to be in a grocery store display. We don't know if it is paper mache or stone. It kind of matches the lion pedestaled on the northern end of the bridge entry. History detectives.....can you help?
If we are incorrect with any"facts" please let us know
Did Mayor Boles sell it through his antique store?
ReplyDeleteWhere Are the Lions?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thebridgeoflions.org/b_home.html
The small lions were bought by Dr. Anderson about 1913 (there were two of them, one on each side of his front steps). I'm sure they inspired him, a decade later, to donate the larger lion statues that gave our historic bridge its name. The small ones still exist. Flagler College has them, and I think they are inside Markland house--at least I have seen them there in recent years. All of the lions, large and small, are based on those in the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence, Italy, next to the Uffizi gallery, one of the world's most famous art museums.
ReplyDeleteThanks David....it's good to know that they did not end up as a grocery display
ReplyDeleteThe small Lions are in the new Publix store that opened off S.R. 16 near Murabella in St. Augustine. It was the 1000th Publix to open in the state, and there was a Bridge of Lions replica, including that little Lion pictured, as part of the grocery store display.
ReplyDelete