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A historic city's landscape has become a little wilder this week as the first of 100 life-size sculptures of lions is placed on its streets.

Each lion has been sponsored and given over to an artist as a blank canvas and the beasts have been returned in a manner of different guises to decorate Bath.

One has been painted in the image of Michael Jackson, while another has what appears to be the remains of a newly-devoured human visible inside.

The sculptures will be displayed publicly until October before being auctioned for charity. The project's sponsors pay £1,250 per lion.

Twenty of the lions were unveiled yesterday at the city's Royal Crescent Hotel.

Among the highlights is a lion painted by Sir Peter Blake, who designed the Beatles' famous Sgt Pepper album cover.

Another has been painted in the image of the Marquess of Bath and sports his trademark beret and waistcoat. Lord Bath's lion will be placed outside the Roman Baths.

Street artist and friend of Banksy Nick Walker designed his lion with a see-through panel, allowing viewers to see what looks like undigested human remains within the body.

Another lion, called Spot, looks like a Dalmatian but has two-dimensional barcodes embedded, enabling people with certain mobile phones to get an instant Google map of the city and the locations of all the other Lions of Bath 2010.

Winter Olympics gold medallist Amy Williams, also a keen painter, decorated a lion, sponsored by Bath Rugby Club. Ms Williams, 27, who raced to glory in the skeleton event in Vancouver, said: "It was fun to do something different, even though I don't have much spare time. The lions are going to look great positioned all around the city." Her lion features an Olympic medal and tribal colours.

Megan Witty, spokeswoman for the project, said: "The creativity is breathtaking, from glorious mosaic effects and powerful thought-provoking messages to the brilliant harnessing of new technologies and sheer visual fun."