Monticello Levy Lions, Exciting Discovery

One of the Levy Lions with Shield

If you have been following my blog posts concerning the large lion statues that were on the grounds of Monticello in the early 1900's, I have exciting news to share!

To recap, four lion statues were pictorially recorded mainly by local photographer, Rufus Holsinger. These statues were assumed to have been purchased by the owner of Monticello, Jefferson Monroe Levy, at least as early as 1905. Two statues were of lions with a ball under a paw and two other statues were of lions holding a shield with a large L inscribed. The ball footed lions became famous when their photo, along with Monticello, were minted on the back of the two dollar bill. It was noted by a local Charlottesville resident that it was in error because they were to honor Thomas Jefferson, but the lions were placed at Monticello long after Thomas Jefferson died and were owned by the Levy family.

Ball footed lion, 1912 historic Rufus Holsinger photo

I became very curious about the whereabouts of the lion statues after finding no concrete documentation as to what happened to them after the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation purchased the estate in 1923. Five years later any property that was not present during Thomas Jefferson's lifetime was sold at auctions held at Monticello and in New York City.

My search for the lions began in 2013 and eventually I tracked down the ball footed lions but the lions with shields remained elusive. Recently I went to the Monticello library for clues. Even with the help of the wonderful library staff, I once again hit a dead end.

Rumor was that lions statues ended up in a junkyard. The thought of this has always horrified me but certainly was a possibility due to the size of the lions and difficulty transporting such beasts. During the transport of a similar lion, the weight topped out at 3,000 pounds!

First lion reported as authentic, not a match.

I have been contacted a few times with reports of lion sightings only to determine they are not the statues that are in historic photographs from Monticello.

My hope was that eventually someone would read my blog posts online and contact me. Finally - finally someone has done just that!

Second lion reported as authentic, not a match in the least.

It is reported that the lions with shields have been gazing over grounds created by famed landscape architect, Frederick Olmsted and guarding the home of what has been referred to as "little Biltmore"! Oh if it is true, it's such an exciting discovery and fitting site for these historic lions.

In a few days I will publish my findings after seeing the lions with my own eyes!

~Rebecca