Lion Niche Fountains for an Entry Gate

Photos © Walter S. Arnold

I carved these two large limestone niches with lion fountains for the entry gate of an estate in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
Click any photo to see a larger image.

The lion heads on workbenches in my studio. At this point the carving was nearly finished.

Each lion has a slightly different personality, reflected in their eyes.
I drilled holes from their mouths through the back of the stone. Water will cascade down into the bowls, and overflow the bowls into the basins of the fountains.

Detail photos of my limestone carving

The stone masons spent several days installing the two fountains. Each limestone niche is 7'8" tall (233 CM).
Each niche is made up of 5 large blocks of stone (the pedestal, bowl, lion, curved riser and dome). They are trimmed with molding stones running up the sides and arching over the dome. A keystone tops it off. The large blocks weigh between 400 and 900 lbs each.
Water is piped through the mouths, spills over the bowl into the basin, and is recirculated.

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