Vintage Monumental Hand Carved Folk Art Lion Sculpture by Antônio Julião

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Vintage Monumental Hand Carved Folk Art Lion Sculpture by Antônio Julião

Brazil, mid 20th century
Wood, carved from a single … Read more Vintage Monumental Hand Carved Folk Art Lion Sculpture by Antônio Julião

Brazil, mid 20th century
Wood, carved from a single block
Dimensions: 29.5” W × 11” H × 8” D

This monumental lion sculpture, executed by the Brazilian folk artist Antônio Julião (b. Prados, Minas Gerais), showcases the artist’s mastery of direct wood carving. Carved from a single block of wood. Deeply incised lines make up the lion’s mane, transforming functional detail into a striated patterning. Natural fissures and cracks, characteristic of Julião’s large scale wooden works, are inherent to the carving process. The work remains in good condition with wear consistent with age and use.

Artist Bio

Antônio Julião belongs to the famous “Família Julião” of Prados, Minas Gerais, Brazil, a lineage of woodcarvers renowned for their monumental folk sculptures. Alongside his brother Itamar Julião (whose works are held in the collection of the Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo), Antônio developed a sculptural practice rooted in the traditions of Brazilian popular art while also advancing an individual language marked by bold scale, technical refinement, and symbolic resonance.

Working primarily in single-tree trunks or solid blocks of wood, Julião’s sculptures often engage with allegory, social commentary, and the intersection of rural life, nature, and human form. His works have been exhibited widely in Brazil and are held in significant public and private collections, with particular recognition among European collectors of Latin American folk art. See less