Leontomachia. Sculptural group of Cerrillo Blanco (Porcuna, Jaén, Spain)

A sculpture in a round bundle made of white calcarenite stone called “Leontomaquia.” On the same base appears a human character in struggle with a lion, of which there are very few remains. The lion supports almost all of its legs on the ground, being a little raised. On the contrary, the hind legs of the animal are upright, thus getting the whole body of the animal very inclined towards the head. The identification of the animal as a lion is made through the line that marks the end of the mane. The tail of the animal hides between the legs and appears through the left groin. As far as the human character is concerned, there has been little remains of it. Specifically his two incomplete feet and footwear and a piece of short robe. It belongs to the group of zoomachias of the sculptural group of Cerrillo Blanco. Chronology: 440-400 B.C. Dimensions: Height: 82 cm Width: 119 cm Thickness: 55 cm The sculptural group of Cerrillo Blanco was found in 1975 in the municipality of Porcuna (Jaén). This set constitutes nowadays the most important Iberian sculptural group of the known so far. It is composed of more than forty pieces that represent heroic struggles of men with each other or men with animals, hunting scenes, images of fantastic animals or important characters. The sculptural group of Cerrillo Blanco would be integrated into a possible staggered monument as a tower in which the history of a lineage is expressed through the ages of the prince, in a context in which the animals shape with their presence the different landscapes of the narrated history. The whole has enough elements to be represented as a whole, programmed from its beginning. The initiatory struggle in distant territory and the mourning with death between aristocrats, zoomachia and monomachias reproduce the two activities that in the sculptural representation of Porcuna more fit the aristocratic imaginary. Porcuna also offers the possibility of reading this double activity in two ages, in children when it shows the learning of both activities in the forms of small hunting and ruled struggle, and in adulthood with the tragic component added. The group of zoomachias is formed, in addition to the Leontomachia, by the Griphomachia. It represents a fight without weapons, from equal to equal, with the beast. The man is clothed with a short tunic with a wide belt, whose brooch and metallic joints have been carefully sculpted, as they are a sign of prestige. The man grabs the monster’s ear with his left hand, to subdue it, and with the right hand neutralizes his jaw firmly. The fingers are introduced in the jaws and the nails are carefully pointed in that place, which the spectator does not get to see, this gesture testifies to the bravery of the man who enters the most threatening part of the beast. From the jaws appears and hangs a long language, which accentuates ferocity and rage. Attitude and movement define the opponents: the man upright and determined, owner of the situation, the body of the gripho turns and envelops the man, in an economy of the space of representation. The gripho has nailed the nails in the thigh of the man, as before the lion-gripho did in the petals of the palmetto, through this contact the force of the defeated monster is transmitted, communicates to the triumphant male. The hero’s head, upright on the right torso, is not preserved, but as an aristocrat his expression had to be impassive, serene, in contrast to the agitation, roar and disproportion of the monster’s head, of long manenas that revolts on itself. At this level of the monument, in the corners, would be located the two figures of wolves devouring a lamb, according to the last proposals of reconstruction. Bibliography: Chapa, T. (2015): “Los escultores del Cerrillo Blanco de Porcuna,” in A. Ruiz y M. Molinos (coord.): Jaén, ibera land. 40 years of research and transfer. University of Jaén. Jaén. Olmos, R. (2002): “The sculptural groups of Cerrillo Blanco de Porcuna (Jaén). A convergent iconographic reading essay.” Spanish Archive of Archaeology, 75 107-122. Ruiz, A. and Molinos, M. (2015): “The sculptural group of Cerrillo Blanco, Porcuna.” In Arturo Ruiz and Manuel Molinos (Eds.). Jaén, Iberian land 40 Years of research and transfer. University of Jaén. 67-84. Torrecillas, J. F. (1985): The late period cemetery of Cerrillo Blanco. Institute of Giennenses Studies. Jaén.