Lions of the Odesa City Garden

The sculptural group “Lion and Lioness” was created by the famous French sculptor-animalist Auguste Caїn in 1854. They are located in the center of the historical city of Odesa at the entrance to the City Garden from Deribasivska Street. These are well-known and beloved mascots of Odesans and city guests.

Author – Pixelated Realities (Odesa)
Object name, scanning location – Lions of the Odesa City Garden, Odesa.
The date of the destruction none
Scan date 11 August 2022

In October 2022, as part of the Museum for Change initiative and with the support of UNESCO, the lions and a number of other city sculptures were closed with protective structures.

In spring 2022, monuments all over the country were being spontaneously closed off with sacks of sand by communal services and local volunteers. This process normalized over the summer and autumn, and initiatives and programs were launched to work on the issue comprehensively. To protect the sculptures from shelling, an engineering structure now comprises a frame, filling, and casing, which varies from object to object.

The lion symbolizes courage and bravery, and the lioness – maternal care. They got to Odesa from the Paris Salon of contemporary art, where it was bought by an unknown Odesan. Between 1846-1888, Caїn exhibited 38 models at the Salon. The weight of the statues is 1.5 tons. The composition was created almost entirely of 99.7% pure copper.

By the 1920s, the Odesan lions were in private ownership and decorated the gardens of merchants, actors and entrepreneurs. In 1927, all sculptures were nationalized and transported to different parts of the city.

Other works by Caїn include “Tiger Killing Crocodile” (1873), “Lion and Lioness Fighting for Boar” (1854) and “Two Lionesses Attacking Bull” (1882) in the Tuileries Garden, Paris, “Tigress Bringing Her Cubs a Prey” (1873) in Central Park, New York, “Lionesses of Sakhara” (1867) near Porte des Lions at El de Flor, “Discontented Tigress” (1863) in Tlemcen, Algeria and “Nubian Lion and His Prey” (1870) in the Luxembourg Garden.