Sphinx - Egypt

The brick cladding on the front legs can be seen clearly in this picture, when first completed the sphinx must have been a smooth and far more realistic vision of a human/lion chimera than the much rougher version we have today. The stepping on the body will presumably have been designed to help support the weight of the bricks.

The sphinx in its entirety was not dug out until as late as 1925

The Sphinx in 1867 in unrestored condition with partially buried body. For scale, there is a man standing beneath its ear.

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