“It looks more like a baboon,” suggests one visitor and, looking at the side view, I can see what he means.
Had the person who created this clay head ever seen a lion? It’s described as Old Babylonian dating from 2000-1000 BC but there’s no evidence that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon ever included captive animals.
On the museum label, the suggestion is that this lion’s head symbolically protected a temple.
I drew it in the Burrel Collection, Glasgow, a museum that encourages you to stop and take a closer look by providing plenty of folding stools, available at strategic points dotted around the galleries.
The gallery where I drew the lion’s head has floor to ceiling windows overlooking mature deciduous woodland.
The cafe is large and airy enough for you to sit in a corner and sketch people without being spotted!
