The Lion of Venice is one of the most prized statues in the world, and one with a very unusual history. The lion has stood on a column in St Mark's Square, Venice, Italy, since around the 12th Century, and come to be recognised worldwide as a symbol of the aquatic city.

The winged lion is the traditional emblem of St Mark, the patron saint of Venice. But the Lion of Venice probably began life as a griffin statue on a monument to the god Sandon, in Cilicia, around 300BCE.

Over the centuries, the original bronze sculpture was repaired and modified, to create the Christian monument we see today.

Like the Lion, the founding of Venice is lost to history. All that's known is that the oldest families can trace their ancestors back to the late Roman empire, and that Paolo Lucio Anafesto, the first leader of Venice, titled the Doge, was elected in 697CE.

Well, we've landed somewhere, let's get looking for the lion. Stay on this slide and point & click to explore the city, and keep your eyes open.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a … griffin? Winged lion? Either way, it's the one we're looking for, and it's pride of place in the Piazza San Marco.

Next to the Lion is another column, this one holds the statue of Venice's other patron saint, Saint Theodore. Like the Lion, it's rather unusual, being made of several different sculptures, including a crocodile which represents a dragon.

Winged lions are almost everywhere in Venice. But the Lion did once leave the city. In 1797, after the defeat of Venice by Napoleon, the Lion of Venice was captured and taken to Paris. After Napoleon was deposed in 1816, it was returned home - with only a few missing parts.

Many artists prefer to stay behind the canvas or camera, but these eminent artists didn't shy away from portraiture. Scroll to see painted portraits side-by-side with photographs.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a celebrated painter who lived from 1841 to 1919. In 1876, the French Impressionist captured himself in oil surrounded by hazy, overlapping brushstrokes. This piece hangs in the Harvard Art Museum.

During his later years, Renoir became stricken with arthritis, but continued to paint. He's shown painting outdoors here with a brush tied to his hand. This photograph is part of the LIFE Photo Collection

One of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo's most frequent subjects was herself. This 1954 piece, Marxism Will Give Health to the Ill, appears at the Museo Frida Kahlo in Coyoacán, Mexico.

This photo by Bernard Silberstein was taken around 1940. Kahlo is seated in front of a plain backdrop, adorned in traditional garments and a headdress of bougainvillea and white rose. Both this photo and the previous painting appear courtesy of the Museo Frida Kahlo.

In 1931, Kahlo also painted herself alongside her husband, Diego Rivera. A celebrated painter in his own right, Rivera was renowned for large, colorful frescoes. This piece currently resides at the San Francisco MOMA.

This photograph of Diego Rivera shows the artist seated next to one of the beloved dogs who lived at La Casa Azul with Kahlo and Rivera. This picture also appears courtesy of the Museo Frida Kahlo.