Griffin Mythology

From:  Album of Tournaments and Parades in Nuremberg. Date: late 16th-mid-17th century Medium: pen and ink, watercolor, gold and silver washes, paper bound in gold-tooled leather Source: The Met  

From: The Red Book of Animal Stories by Andrew Lang Illustrator: H.J. Ford Publisher: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1899 Source: Archive.org

Pair of Protomes Depicting the Forepart of a Griffin, 625-575 B.C. Bronze with bone or ivory inlay 1: 20.3 x 7.6 x 7.6 cm (8 x 3 x 3 in.); 2: 21.6 x 8.3 x 7 cm (8 1/2 x 3 1/4 x 2 3/4 in.) Greek, probably Samos Description: “The great holy sites of ancient Greece, such as the sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia and the Heraion of Samos, functioned as repositories for gifts brought by believers seeking divine favor. The most impressive of these offerings were large bronze cauldrons, which were set on a conical stand or tripod base and embellished with cast-bronze attachments like these two griffins. These beasts, facing outward, would have been fastened to the vessel by means of the rivets still present on their collars. This hollowcast pair is remarkable for the superb quality of their craftsmanship, their condition, and their partially preserved inlaid eyes.A mythical creature revered for its protective powers, the griffin combined a feline body, an avian head, and tall, horse-like ears. It has been argued that the beaked Protoceratops dinosaurs that once roamed Central Asia were the iconographic inspiration for these ferocious beasts. Travelers may have seen the fantastic fossilized remains of the dinosaurs and then created stories to account for them. Meanwhile, local inhabitants may have spread tales about their ferocity as a way to discourage marauders from looting their wealth. These two griffins are highly agitated; their mouths are agape and their tongues curl up as they screech bloodcurdling warnings to ward off intruders. The iconographic inspiration for the ferocious griffin (a feline creature with a beak), which the Greeks revered for its powers of protection, was probably the fossilized remains of four-legged, bird-beaked dinosaurs that once roamed Central Asia. Traders and others may have come across them in their travels around the Gobi Desert. Having no knowledge of the paleontological past, they created a story to account for the strange creatures. These two griffins were once riveted to the shoulder of a ceremonial vessel that sat atop a three-legged stand. It was placed in a religious sanctuary by a prosperous Greek as a demonstration of his piety and a display of his wealth.” Source: Art Institute of Chicago        

Title: Throne Let in the Shape of a Griffin Date: late 7th-early 8th century Geography: probably Western Iran Culture: Islamic Medium: Bronze, cast around a ceramic core and chased Source: The Met

Page found in Heraldry and floral forms as used in decoration by Herbert Cole. Published in 1922.

Panels from an organ case in the church of Saint Vitus in Naarden. Artist: Jan Eerstensz. van Schayck Origin: Utrecht, Netherlands Date: c.1510-1520. Medium: Oak wood Size: h 88.0 cm × w 42.0 cm × d 5.0 cm Source: Rijksmuseum

Date: 1500-1549 Origin: Italy Material: wood Artist: Donatello (school of) Size: h 55 cm Source: Rijksmuseum

Title: Panel with a griffin Date:  1250–1300   Geography: Made in Greece or the Balkans (possibly)   Culture: Byzantine  Medium: Marble                                       Dimensions:  Overall: 23 1/2 x 20 1/2 x 2 9/16 in. (59.7 x 52.1 x 6.5 cm) Description: “This commanding image of a griffin with its head turned and its wing flexed is an exceptionally fine example of monumental stone carving of the Late Byzantine, or Palaiologan, era. The panel, worked in low relief, resembles an elaborate Byzantine silk in its arrangement of the creature within a roundel. Small Greek crosses at the midpoint of the border on all four sides identify it as having been made for Christian use. Christians of this era still considered the mythical griffins to be guardian figures, often of the dead, and symbols of power and authority, thanks in part to their legendary role in the life of Alexander the Great.” “Possibly, the panel was once part of a tomb similar to those known from northern Greece that were carved in a style influential in Serbia and the Balkans. On tombs griffins may have meant both to protect the people buried within and to symbolize their royal lineage. The fleurs-de-lis on the griffin's shoulder and haunch typify the era's complex cultural interplay, as similar motifs are found in contemporary Islamic and Crusader depictions of animals.“ Source: The Met

A mahogany octagonal centre table 20th century on four bronzed griffin supports 84.5cm. high, 117cm. wide; 2ft. 9¼in., 3ft. 10in. “This table appears to be based on the design of a pietra dura topped table, sold `Two Late Regency Collectors', Christie's London, 9 June 2005, lot 50. The base was designed by George Bullock who drew his inspriation from an antique fragment of a table in the Vatican recorded in a drawing by the architect C. H. Tatham, published in his Etchings representing Fragment of Grecian and Roman architectural ornaments, 1799. “ Source: Sothebys.com

A Greek Terracotta Applique, Tarentum, circa 350-325 B.C. “of openwork form molded in bold relief with a griffin moving to right and looking back over its shoulder; traces of gilding. Length 4 in.   10.2 cm.” Source: Sothebys.com

Title: Fragment of a Felt Covering for a Saddle with a Griffin Origin: Russia Culture: Pazyryk Date: 5th century BC Description: “Found: Altai Territory, Pazyryk Boundary, the Valley of the River Bolshoy Ulagan.  Pazyryk Barrow No. 2 (excavations by S.I. Rudenko)A griffin - a fantastical best with the body of a tiger and the head of an eagle - adorns this small piece of felt from a saddle cover. The monster's outstretched body is decked out with appliqué pieces: bright blue on the neck, claws and beak, reddish triangles on the claws, different coloured drop-shaped inserts marking the ribs, pink "commas" decorating the comb. Each applied piece is surrounded with decorative embroidery forming a filigree border, while the wing, collar and silhouette of the whole figure are also outlined with embroidery. This image is often cited to prove that there were close links between Altai felt appliqués and the applied art of the Near East. A number of scholars suggest that the image of a griffin came to the Altai from Achaemenid Iran and Central Asia, where "commas" and "dots" were used in jewellery and where the griffin motif was tied up with ancient traditions. An opposing point of view, however, suggests that nomadic appliqué art influenced the inlay style in Iranian art. This unusual device might perhaps be the result of mutual influence between jewellers and weavers in Iran, although in the Altai some local representational and technical peculiarities made their appearance.“ Source: Hermitagemuseum.org

Detail from Hieronymus Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights.