Lion de Fleur
James Adams' Lion de Fleur in the Circus, Bath.
It was one of the many lions which were part of the Lions of Bath public art exhibition.
The 100-strong pride of lions - with the tag-line 'Pride in our City' - were individually painted and decorated and spread about the city.
The lions were displayed throughout 2010, before being gathered for one weekend at the Royal Crescent and then auctioned off.
The lion was chosen because it is both the symbol of royal England and because it is on the Bath coat of arms, recognising the King Edgar - first king of all England - in Bath in 973AD.
The King’s Circus was designed by John Wood and built by his son John Wood the Young after his father died the year he began construction.
The Circus is made up of 30 houses in the Palladian architectural style, divided into three smaller crescents – the first of which stood alone for seven years while funds were sought to complete the construction work, which took place between 1754 and 1767.
Britain’s first circular street, its colonnaded design and shape took obvious inspiration from the Colosseum in Rome, linking the modern Georgian city of Bath with its ancient Roman history.
There was also a link to Bath’s mystical history as he designed it to be the same size as Stonehenge – though his measurements were a little off. The stone acorns which adorn the houses represent the legend of Prince Bladud and how he discovered the hot springs in the city.
A carved frieze runs around the entire circle, while there are three styles of column on the exterior – Doric, Ionic and Corintian.
Among the former residents of the Circus are the artist Thomas Gainsborough and Prime Minister William Pitt.
Lion de Fleur
James Adams' Lion de Fleur in the Circus, Bath.
It was one of the many lions which were part of the Lions of Bath public art exhibition.
The 100-strong pride of lions - with the tag-line 'Pride in our City' - were individually painted and decorated and spread about the city.
The lions were displayed throughout 2010, before being gathered for one weekend at the Royal Crescent and then auctioned off.
The lion was chosen because it is both the symbol of royal England and because it is on the Bath coat of arms, recognising the King Edgar - first king of all England - in Bath in 973AD.
The King’s Circus was designed by John Wood and built by his son John Wood the Young after his father died the year he began construction.
The Circus is made up of 30 houses in the Palladian architectural style, divided into three smaller crescents – the first of which stood alone for seven years while funds were sought to complete the construction work, which took place between 1754 and 1767.
Britain’s first circular street, its colonnaded design and shape took obvious inspiration from the Colosseum in Rome, linking the modern Georgian city of Bath with its ancient Roman history.
There was also a link to Bath’s mystical history as he designed it to be the same size as Stonehenge – though his measurements were a little off. The stone acorns which adorn the houses represent the legend of Prince Bladud and how he discovered the hot springs in the city.
A carved frieze runs around the entire circle, while there are three styles of column on the exterior – Doric, Ionic and Corintian.
Among the former residents of the Circus are the artist Thomas Gainsborough and Prime Minister William Pitt.