DISCONNECTION Mouthpiece, bocca di leone, in limestone... Lot 48

DISCONNECTION Mouthpiece, bocca di leone, in limestone carved in high relief. Stylized lion's head with round ears, eyebrow arches in twisted beading, almond-shaped eyes, bordered by short strands of mane. Buccal inscription on the lower part. Northern Italy, 16th century Height: 42.4 cm - Width: 41.7 cm (erosion) Denunciation mouths were once numerous in Venice. They were intended to discreetly receive tickets, argued and not anonymous, which allowed the police to carry out investigations in order to apprehend bad citizens. They took the form of a human head or a sometimes frightening masquerade, or, as here, a lion's head, and were called bucca di leone. They were accompanied by an explanatory inscription, which here was formerly burnt.