Original antique handcarved Swiss lion monument DESCRIPTIONA beautiful original handcarved replica of the Swiss lion monument. The quality and detail is amazing. Handmade in Switzerland from solid mahogany and dating from 1900-1910. It is in lovely condition. It measures 9.6cms long, 3.8cms deep and 5.1cms tall. 3 3/4 inches long, 1 1/2 inches deep and 2 inches tall.The Lion Monument (German: Löwendenkmal), or the Lion of Lucerne, is a rock relief in Lucerne, Switzerland, designed by Bertel Thorvaldsen and hewn in 1820–21 by Lukas Ahorn. It commemorates the Swiss Guards who were massacred in 1792 during the French Revolution, when revolutionaries stormed the Tuileries Palace in Paris.Mark Twain praised the sculpture of a mortally-wounded lion as "the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world.From the early 17th century, a regiment of Swiss Guards had served as part of the Royal Household of France. On 6 October 1789, King Louis XVI had been forced to move with his family from the Palace of Versailles to the Tuileries Palace in Paris. In June 1791 he tried to flee to Montmédy near the frontier, where troops under royalist officers were concentrated. In the 1792 10th of August Insurrection, revolutionaries stormed the palace. Fighting broke out spontaneously after the Royal Family had been escorted from the Tuileries to take refuge with the Legislative Assembly. The Swiss Guards ran low on ammunition and were overwhelmed by superior numbers. A note written by the King half an hour after firing had commenced has survived, ordering the Swiss to retire and return to their barracks.[2]Delivered in the middle of the fighting, this was only acted on after their position had become untenable.[3]Of the Swiss Guards defending the Tuileries, more than six hundred were killed during the fighting or massacred after surrender. An estimated two hundred more died in prison of their wounds or were killed during the September Massacres that followed. Apart from about a hundred Swiss who escaped from the Tuileries, the only survivors of the regiment were a 300 strong detachment which, with the King's authorization, had been sent to Normandy to escort grain convoys a few days before August 10.[4] The Swiss officers were mostly amongst those massacred, although Major Karl Josef von Bachmann — in command at the Tuileries —was formally tried and guillotined in September, still wearing his red uniform coat. Two surviving Swiss officers achieved senior rank under Napoleon..Buy with confidence .We always combine multiple purchases..If you have any questions please feel free to email or call on 07973132746.. SHIPPINGAll the items we sell are in stock and ready for dispatch.But please be aware overseas shipping can be slow with standard postal services.PAYMENTWe can only accept payment via Paypal for overseas customers.inkfrog terapeakinkFrog Analytics