Arch enclosure figuring a lion

The figure of the lion can have different meanings – either positive or negative. As this relief originally comes from a church (Santa Maria dei Servi in Milan), one may assume this lion is a Christian lion. This type of lion appeared in Chrisian art in the Middle Ages: it is said to have the power to resurrect stillborn babies with its breathing. It therefore sends back to the idea of the resurrected Christ, and in a broader manner, to the ideas of power and sovereignty.