Lion Pendant

Art Historical Context

Nestled in the Robert Lehman Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the *Lion Pendant* is a example of 19th-century European jewelry craftsmanship. Crafted from gold, enamel, and pearls, this pendant measures 8.5 cm in height and 5 cm in width, the opulence of precious materials favored during the Victorian era's later decades. Its fierce lion motif, rendered with intricate enameling techniques, captures the beast in a dynamic pose, symbolizing strength, nobility, royal power—a common emblem in European heraldry and decorative arts. Produced probably in the second half of the 19th cent...