Androcles in the Louvre and showed Androcles tending the lion's paw. In the 19th century Androcles became a subject for French table ornaments. One from 1820 shows him sword in hand in the arena as the lion crouches at his feet, while another from 1825 has him tending the injured paw. About 1898, Jean-Léon Gérôme, who was soon to paint that scene too, produced a sculpture of Androcles leading the lion about on his tour of the Roman taverns. Titled "Le Mendiant" (the beggar), it is made of bronze gilt and shows the former slave standing with one hand on the
Thorn in the flesh thorn has been seen as a physical impediment that made Paul the object of ridicule, without necessarily making him physically weak. Peter Marshall suggests a "social debilitating disease or disfigurement" that would undermine his visionary claims. Others propose a speech impediment, which might explain the Corinthian accusation that he was forceful in writing but unimpressive in person (2 Cor 10:9-11). Other interpretations include: The phrase "thorn in the flesh" continues to be used as a metaphor for "a source of continual annoyance or trouble." It is synonymous with the phrase "thorn in the side," which is also of biblical origin,