Part of a rainwater spout in the form of a lion’s head: It constitutes the terracotta edge of the roof of a public building in the Oracle of Delphi. Rainwater was carried away through a spout that took the form of a lion’s head, preserved in excellent condition. The decoration of the clay surface consists of finely designed meanders and elegant vegetal motifs painted red and black that remain unfading to this day. The colouring of decorative details on the exterior surfaces of public buildings was an indispensable element of ancient Greek architecture. The building to which the spout originally belonged dates from the late 5th c. BC.