A recent study has unveiled a stunning historical surprise about the famous bronze statue of the Winged Lion perched atop one of the columns in Venice’s St. Mark’s Square, one of the most important symbols of the ancient Italian city.

According to advanced scientific research led by a team from the University of Padua in Italy, laboratory analyses have disproved previous historical accounts attributing the statue to the civilizations of Iraq or ancient Greece. Isotope analysis revealed that the copper’s origins trace back to the mines of the Yangtze River basin in China.

The study suggests that the statue may have traveled along the legendary Silk Road in an epic journey from China to Italy, possibly carried by the father and uncle of the famous explorer Marco Polo during their trip to the Mongol court in 13th-century Beijing.

This scientific discovery not only solves an eight-century-old mystery but also rewrites a chapter of cultural exchange history between civilizations and raises new questions about the routes of artistic heritage transfer between East and West in the Middle Ages.

Advanced lead isotope analysis of samples taken from the statue showed that the copper used in its making comes from the lower Yangtze region in southeast China. The scientists wrote: “Lead isotopes provide a reliable means to link metals to their original ore deposits.”

The research also indicates that the statue is similar in type to statues that guarded tombs during the Tang Empire, which ruled China between 618 and 907 AD.

Scientists believe the entire statue was likely brought to Venice after Niccolò and Maffeo Polo (Marco Polo’s father and uncle) found it during their visit to the Mongol court in Khanbaliq (modern-day Beijing). After arriving in Venice, it was modified to resemble the republic’s emblem—the Winged Lion of Saint Mark.

Visual examination revealed the statue once had horns, meaning it closely resembled a traditional Chinese statue called zhenmushou (tomb guardian beasts that warded off evil spirits during the Tang dynasty).

The horns were likely removed later, and the ears shortened to adapt it to the shape of Saint Mark’s lion.

This symbol is everywhere in Venice, adorning buildings and coins. It is also the emblem of the top prize at the Venice Film Festival, the Golden Lion.

However, little is known about the statue’s history. As Massimo Vidale, co-author of the study, said: “We do not know when the statue arrived in Venice, where it was reshaped, who did it, or when it was placed on the column where it is still visible today.” The scientists confirmed their study shows the geographical extent of the Republic of Venice’s influence, one of the great commercial powers in medieval Europe, and the interconnectedness of its world.

Previous researchers had suggested the statue originated from Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), ancient Persia, or ancient Greece.

Vidale concluded: “Venice is a city full of mysteries, but one has been solved: Saint Mark’s Lion is Chinese and traveled the Silk Road.”