Lion's Head Protome. Unknown 525–500 With its open, snarling mouth, this lion probably served an apotropaic purpose, symbolically protecting an object. The unknown artisan made the head by hammering a single sheet of bronze over a form carved with many details, such as individual teeth, and locks of hair on the mane. He gave special attention to the lion's eyes, inlaying paste for the whites of the eyes and using bronze disks to represent the irises and iron pins to represent the pupils and hold the disks in place. In the ancient world, eyes were believed to have special apotropaic power;

Lion's Head Protome. Unknown 525–500 With its open, snarling mouth, this lion probably served an apotropaic purpose, symbolically protecting an object. The unknown artisan made the head by hammering a single sheet of bronze over a form carved with many details, such as individual teeth, and locks of hair on the mane. He gave special attention to the lion's eyes, inlaying paste for the whites of the eyes and using bronze disks to represent the irises and iron pins to represent the pupils and hold the disks in place. In the ancient world, eyes were believed to have special apotropaic power; this glaring pair would have amplified the lion's protective power. Lion protomes were popular in Etruscan art of the 600s and 500s and appear to have served a variety of decorative purposes. The scale of this protome and the cylindrical shape of its open neck indicate that it was once attached to another object, probably the hub of a chariot wheel.

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