Venice’s famous winged lion statue is actually Chinese, scientists say

To visitors, Venice is a glorious tapestry of historic buildings, waterways, bell towers, red roofs — and a mighty winged lion, the symbol of the Venetian republic, carved into structures across the city.

Possibly the most famous version of the lion is a bronze statue standing atop a column in the Piazzetta adjoining St. Mark’s Square — and now, researchers think the statue was made in China.

After studying samples from the metal lion using lead isotope analysis, researchers from northern Italy’s University of Padua found that the copper used to create the bronze alloy (which is a mix of copper and tin) on the original bronze work came from the Yangtze river in China, according to a study published in the journal Antiquity on Thursday.

This, they said, would explain why the 4-mete