Wray unveiling her 25th poster image at 25 Years: A Celebration of Poster Artist, Wray Williamson
Featured prominently in my painting for the 2017 poster is the winged
lion fountain in front of Savannah’s Cotton Exchange. The winged lion
is the symbol of Saint Mark. In the late 1800s, when the Cotton Exchange
was built, Savannah was a very important seaport, as it is today. Then,
of course, it was mostly because of cotton. It was sometimes referred to
as “the Venice of the South.” Venice had been an important port for
centuries. St. Mark is the patron saint of Venice. His remains, reputedly,
are in the cathedral there that bears his name, as does the main square.
(There are many theories about the remains and parts of them!) I believe,
though I can’t prove it, that the Venetian connection is the reason for the
winged lion
Leave a Reply