Lion
Symbol of the Evangelist Mark
New Testament
Saint Mark
Saint Mark the Evangelist
Look for the winged lion beside the Gospel book. This emblem of Mark also appears on buildings and banners in Venice.
Saint Mark the EvangelistHausbuch Master · c. 1480
01 / 06
- Feast
- April 25
- Era
- 1st century · Jerusalem, Rome, Alexandria (trad.)
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
Iconographic Attributes
Iconographic field guide
Identifying features
Winged lion with book is civic as well as sacred—Piazza San Marco floods the memory. Lion may hold Venetian gospels in political art. In four-evangelist sets, lion always = Mark; do not assign lion to other saints except rare allegories.
- Clothing
- apostolic robes
- Colours
- red · gold
- Symbols
- lion · winged lion
Book
Second Gospel—lion supporter in Venetian iconography.
Sacred Halo
Divine or sanctified light around the head
Apostolic Robes
Garments of the Twelve or evangelists
scroll
Author of the Gospel
Visual Gallery
Works / 06Saint Mark the EvangelistHausbuch Master · c. 1480
Saint Mark the Evangelist1100
Saint Mark the EvangelistJean Bourdichon · 1503–1508
Saint Mark writing the Gospel with the lion
Saint Mark the EvangelistAndrea Mantegna · c. 1450
Saint Mark the Evangelistc. 1480
Biography
Life & legacy
Mark 1The second Gospel opens with John preaching in the wilderness and the baptism of Jesus. Christian tradition attributes the Gospel to Mark and links his work to Peter’s preaching. A winged lion identifies Mark in art and became an emblem of Venice.
Mark’s Gospel; Papias on Mark as Peter’s interpreter; Venetian state cult.
Representation in Sacred Art
Narrative scenes to recognize
writing the Gospel
with the lion
patron of Venice
Visual Recognition Guide
1.Winged lion
Symbol of the Evangelist Mark
2.Book or scroll
Author of the Gospel
3.Quill and desk
Evangelist writing
Patronage and Devotion
Venicenotariessecretarieslion keepers
Distinguishing Similar Figures
Often confused with Saint Luke: Both evangelists with animal symbols
Notes from the Archive
- The lion of Saint Mark is the symbol of the Republic of Venice
Practice
