Leo the Lion, (sculpture).

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Leo the Lion, (sculpture).

Huntington, Anna Vaughn Hyatt, 1876-1973, sculptor.

Sabatino de Angelis & Fils, founder.

Leo the Lion, (sculpture).

Lion, (sculpture).

Steele High School Lion, Leo, (sculpture).

Commissioned 1907. 1908. Dedicated Dec. 11, 1909. Reinstalled Oct. 7, 1914. Relocated Sept. 30, 1955. Rededicated Sept. 1, 1986.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: bronze; Base: stone.

Sculpture: approx. 7 ft. 3 in. x 2 ft. x 8 ft. 10 in.; Base: approx. 40 x 49 x 90 in. (1,800 lbs.).

(Base:) Anna V. Hyatt/Naples/1908 (Base:) Sab=De Angelis & Fils. (Base, plaque on front, facing east:) LEO/Steele High School Mascot/Anna Hyatt Huntington, sculptor/Present in 1908/restored by Alumni and Friends/Sponsored by the Class of 1931/1989. (Base, plaque on right side, facing north:) "Leo" The Steele Lion/Dedicated 12-11-1909/Reset 10-7-1914, after 1913 Flood/Moved to Dayton Art Institute 9-30-1955/Rededicated 9-1-1986 by the/Steele High School Class of 1936/Anna V. H. Huntington, sculptor, 1908 signed

A large lion with a full mane stands on a rock.

Outdoor Sculpture -- Ohio -- Dayton

On loan to Dayton Art Institute, 456 Belmonte Park North, Front west lawn, Dayton, Ohio 45405

Lent by City of Dayton, Board of Education, 348 West First Street, Kiser Middle School, Dayton, Ohio 45402

Formerly located Steele High School, Main Street & Monument Avenue, Dayton, Ohio

Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington was commissioned to create this lion after a previous lion sculpture purchased by the Steele High School Decorative Arts Association had deteriorated. The artist made a small clay model of a lion which was unanimously accepted by the Steele High School Decorative Arts Association. In 1907, the artist was commissioned to make an enlarged bronze casting of the lion. The casting was paid for with more than $300 in nickels collected by Steele students. The artist went to Naples to supervise the casting and later attended the dedication ceremony.

During the flood of 1913, the lion was knocked off of its base and the base was destroyed. Funds were collected for a new base and the sculpture was reinstalled on Oct. 7, 1914. When the old Steele High School was torn down in 1955, the lion was relocated to the front lawn of the Dayton Art Institute. In 1989-1990, Steele alumni again raised funds for the sculpture's restoration which was handled by Karkadoulias Bronze Art in Cincinnati. The sculpture was cleaned in July 1995.

IAS files contain a photocopy of the Steele Art Club's "History of The Lion," Dayton, OH: The Trade Press, Dec. 11, 1923 which includes a photograph of the lion at the unveiling; an excerpt from a paper by Marylizbeth Simons Grefe entitled "Garden Sculpture of the Dayton Art Institute" dated May 1, 1982; an excerpt from the Steele High School Directory for 1989-1990; and newspaper articles from the Downtowner, April 18-25, 1990, pg. 3; July 15-21, 1987; and the Dayton Daily News, May 11, 1989, pg. 3-A; July 1, 1989, pg. 11-A; April 22, 1989, section C.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Ohio survey, 1995.

Index of American Sculpture, University of Delaware, 1985.

Campen, Richard N., "Outdoor Sculpture in Ohio," Chagrin Falls, Ohio: West Summit Press, 1980, pg. 44.

Campen, Richard N., "Outdoor Sculpture in Ohio," Chagrin Falls, Ohio: West Summit Press, 1980, pg. 44.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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