A large carved fruitwood model of the Lion of Lucerne Late 19th century, after the design by Be...

A large carved fruitwood model of the Lion of Lucerne Late 19th century, after the design by Bertel Thorvaldsen (Danish, 1770-1844) The recumbent lion raised on rectangular plinth base, inscribed HELVETIORUM FIDEI C VIRTUI, together with a later bespoke plinth base, 54cm wide, 28.5cm high, 18.3cm deep Footnotes: Karl Pfyffer von Altishofen was an officer in the Swiss Guards who had been on leave in Lucerne during the French Revolution, when the Swiss Guards were massacred in 1792 in the Tuileries Palace, Paris. Approximately 760 guards were killed and a further two hundred in the September Massacres that followed. In order to commemorate his fellow soldiers, Von Altishofen wrote a book about the Swiss Guards and their valiant service during the French Revolution. The reaction to the book was so great that Von Altishofen was able to start a public subscription to finance the memorial. He went on to raise money from European Royal Houses in 1818. The monument was designed by Thorvaldsen and hewn by Lukas Ahorn into a cliff face in a dis-used sandstone quarry near Lucerne -it was completed in 1821. The Latin dedication translates as 'To the loyalty and bravery of the Swiss'. It was called 'the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world' by the author Mark Twain. In 2006 the rock relief was placed under Swiss Monumental Protection. For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com For further information about this lot please visit the lot listing