Vintage French Revolution Lucerne lion with fantastic patina Helvetiorium Fidei

Description

This vintage French plaster of a lion is a replica of the sculptural monument entitled "Helvetiorum Fidei AC Virtuti" . It has a fantastic patina, crackled light gray over the sandstone colored plaster.   7" long 3 1/4" wide, 3 1/2" high.
"
HELVETIORUM FIDEI AC VIRTUTI"
in Latin translates to "To the loyalty and bravery of the Swiss".
The
Lion Monument
stands in Lucerne, Switzerland It is a giant dying or mourning lion carved out of a wall of sandstone rock next to an old quarry in the medieval town. It was to commemorate the Swiss Guard soldiers who were slaughtered while trying to protect the family of the French king Louis XVI during the French Revolution when the rioting masses attacked the Tuileries chateau in Paris on August 10, 1792.  The soldiers helped the royals to escape.
Bertel Thorvaldsen
(1770-1884), the Danish sculptor created this in 1819 while in Rome, Italy.  It was carved in the 20 ft. high and 33 ft. long monumental version out of sandstone in 1821 by Lucas Ahorn, a German stone carver.