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Venezia, Italy - St. Marks Lion Shield Charm 4

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http://library.ucsc.edu/slides/decou/lanterns/full/dc1.474.1394r.jpg

St. Mark's Lion - Venice

Location: VENEZIA, Italy - Venice
Scene: St. Marks Square Winged Lion

Description:
Vintage Silver & Enamel Souvenir Travel Bracelet Shield Charm

Measurements:

Height: 5/8 inch	Width: 1⁄2 inch
Depth: 1/8 inch	Weight: 1.0 grams

Condition: Beautiful detail and in excellent condition for its age!

Shipping: I'd be happy to combine shipping if you win more than one charm!

About Shield Charms:

History
These sterling silver enamelled travel shield charms were popular with European, British and American travelers in the 1940's, 1950's 1960's, 1970's, and are highly collectible items today. The colorful vintage / retro look is very appealing to collectors and are quite the conversation piece. Some have a vintage patina and some look like they are brand new even if they are over 50 or 60 years old. They are wearable postcards and miniature works of art.

Women documented their travels by collecting a souvenir shield charm depicting the town or country coat of arms crest, a scenic picture of the area, castles, a famous landmark (Eiffel Tower), building (White House), person from history (Mozart) or an event (Olympics). These charms were often given to women as gifts from their men who were traveling abroad.

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Wikipedia Info:

Venezia, Italy - The winged lion of St Mark's Square

Winged Lion of St. Mark

Venice Italy travel One of the most famous winged lions in Venice is on the Torre dell'Orologio, the clock tower on the Piazza San Marco. Another stands atop a column in the Piazzetta, next to the Doge's Palace. The latter statue was hauled away to Paris by occupying Napoleonic troops in 1797, but it was returned to Venice in 1815.

If you visit the Doge's Palace, be sure to see Capaccio's painting of 1516 that shows a winged lion with a curiously humanoid face. The lion smiles at the observer while standing half on the mainland, half on the lagoon with the Doge's Palace and a fleet of sailing ships in the background.

Winged Lion of St. Mark Venice Italy There are plenty of other lions for leo leo lovers to enjoy. To quote A Venetian Bestiary again, "there are lions in the middle of dreadful meals, lions having their jaws wrenched open, lions with crowns on their heads, lions confronted by dragons, the lion that carries Minerva side-saddle in the public gardens, the eighteenth-century red marble lions of the Piazzetta dei Leoncini which seem specifically designed to let children ride them, the benignly simpering Byzantine lions that sustain the Tree of Life in the cathedral screen at Torcello."

Best of all, Venice's lions aren't real--so you can enjoy them without feeling guilty over the fact that the object of your attentions would be happier gnawing on a zebra in the African veldt.

Torre dell'Orologio Winged Lion of St. Mark Venice