File talk:Lions of trafalgar Square. Could these models be Landseer proofs..JPG

The pair of lions in the photograph have been passed to me through my family. They are faithful in appearance to those in Trafalgar Square guarding the Nelson monument. It is believed that the models were cast from the same metal as their larger cousins (melted down French and Spanish cannon captured during the war).

Papers at the Public Records Office, Kew, show that Landseer submitted clay models to the committee responsible for the Nelson memorial project. Is it possible that these bronze miniatures were formed from the clay models? How many models were cast?

There are of course four lions in Trafalgar Square. They seem to be identical in all respects apart from the tail. Two lions have the tail lying along the animal's right flanks and two along the left flank. The models are both 'left-handed'. Are there any right-handed versions?

Nicknight 12:22, 4 December 2006 (UTC)