China's influence on Europe goes way back! Ask Marco Polo!
"A bronze statue of a winged lion that has long graced the center of Piazza San Marco in Venice is from a faraway land, according to a new study. It was made in China as a tomb guardian over 1,000 years ago and may have been imported to Italy by Marco Polo's father via the Silk Road in the 13th century, the researchers found. ..."
From the abstract:
"There are no known written records pertaining to the origins of the enigmatic bronze ‘Lion’ that stands atop one of the two large columns of the Piazzetta in St Mark’s Square, Venice (Italy). Representing the Venetian Winged Lion, a powerful symbol of statehood, the sculpture was installed during a time of political uncertainty in medieval Mediterranean Europe, yet its features do not reflect local artistic conventions.
Here, the authors argue that stylistic parallels are found in Tang Dynasty China (AD 618–907); employing lead isotope analysis, they further show that the figure was cast with copper isotopically consistent with ore from the Lower Yangzi River basin."
Iconic winged lion statue in Venice may actually be from China's Tang dynasty, study finds "A new study of the trace amounts of lead in Venice's famous winged lion statue suggests that its metal originated in China — and Marco Polo's family may have brought it over."
The Chinese identity of St Mark’s bronze ‘Lion’ and its place in the history of medieval Venice (open access)
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