The Lion of Lucerne: a pig joke by a deceived sculptor (9 photos)

The Dying Lion is one of Switzerland's crown jewels. In a former sandstone quarry on the outskirts of Lucerne, the dying king of the beasts is carved out of rock. The spear wound is clearly visible, and next to it is a shield bearing the heraldry of the French monarchy. This monument, created in 1820, is 10 meters long and 6 meters high.





Above the lion is the Latin inscription "HELVETIORUM FIDEI AC VIRTUTI," meaning "To the loyalty and courage of the Swiss." The names of the fallen officers are listed below the niche.



The monument is dedicated to the Swiss Guards who served the King of France and died defending the Tuileries Palace during the French Revolution. The dying lion here symbolizes soldierly valor, the willingness to die rather than break an oath.

For two centuries, millions of tourists have admired this work, which Mark Twain called "the saddest and most touching stone in the world." But few know that not one, but two animals are carved into the rock.





Since the 15th century, Swiss mercenaries have been prized by European monarchs for their discipline and loyalty. The kings of France and Spain especially favored them, employing them as personal guards. On August 10, 1792, a huge crowd of revolutionaries stormed the Tuileries Palace. King Louis XVI and his family fled, leaving 1,330 Swiss Guards alone to face the uprising. More than 600 died that day, and about 200 died of their wounds in prison.



One of the guardsmen, Second Lieutenant Karl Pfyffer von Altishofen, was on leave in Lucerne during the tragedy. He remained in service until 1801, when his regiment was disbanded, after which he returned home. It was then that the idea for a memorial in honor of his fallen comrades was born.



Bertel Thorvaldsen - Danish sculptor, representative of late academic classicism

At that time, Switzerland, conquered by Napoleon, was under French rule, and a monument to the defenders of the monarchy would have been unthinkable. But after the Emperor's abdication and the Congress of Vienna, the country gained independence. Pfyffer decided the time had come. He commissioned the work from the Danish neoclassical sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen and began raising funds.



However, the required sum was not raised. The renowned artist was dear to him, but Pfyffer hid the truth about his finances from him, at least until he received the model of the sculpture. Relations between the client and the artist grew tense. Thorvaldsen, according to Pfyffer, showed "indifference to the people awaiting his work." When the sculptor learned he would not be paid in full, he nevertheless completed the work, but made a few final revisions.



Thorvaldsen sculpted a dying lion, pierced by a spear. The animal's paw rests on a shield bearing the lilies of the French crown, and next to it is a shield bearing the cross of Switzerland. He left the lion figure untouched out of respect for the fallen soldiers. However, he altered the contours of the niche where the wounded animal lies. Its outline now mimics the silhouette of a pig with astonishing precision.



The sculpture was carved from Thorvaldsen's models by two masters: the Swiss Pankrátz Eggenschwiler, who died during the work after falling from the scaffolding, and the German Lukas Ahorn, who completed the monument in 1821.



One of Thorvaldsen's first models is kept in the Lucerne Historical Museum. It clearly shows that the niche's shape was completely different—neutral, without a hint of a pig.

Apparently, no one noticed the altered silhouette until the very end of the work. But the subtle hint with which the sculptor expressed his disdain for his client is now clearly visible to anyone who pays close attention.